


Sansa Stark and the Queen of Roses

by aheshke



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Crossover, Experimental Style, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Multi, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Past Abuse, Reckless Self-Indulgence, Romance, Sansaery is my OTP, Triwizard Tournament, all the ages have been fucked with to make the AU work, lots of ASOIAF character mentions, margaery and loras are twins, we need more wlw fics, yes this fic is all bullet points deal with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-12 00:43:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19218133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aheshke/pseuds/aheshke
Summary: Sansa Stark finds refuge from Joffrey Baratheon in the Hogwarts Library. Margaery Tyrell finds a new studying partner.A "what if they were allowed the gay Hogwarts romance they deserved" hypothetical fic formatted with bullet points, a central Sansaery relationship with other ships lurking in the background (and yes there is a plot).





	1. Years 3 and 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two gals, sitting in the Hogwarts Library less than five feet apart from each other because they're gay.

  * Picture this: Sansa is a 13-year-old Slytherin
  * Most of the other Starks are Gryffindors (including Arya, who does not disguise her distaste for her sister’s House)
  * She is as brilliant and clever as the other Slytherins, of course, but has a tendency to hide in the library because her past relationship with Joffrey Baratheon did not end well _(understatement of the year)_ and it’s the best place to escape his bullying
  * Honestly, one would think the wanker is allergic to books by the way he avoids the place and indeed anything resembling the written word
  * Given her predilection for studying at the library, one might forgive others for wrongly assuming she is a Ravenclaw until they see the distinctive green and silver on her robes
  * 15-year-old Margaery Tyrell, Slytherin Prefect, makes this mistake only once until she sees the distinctive red Tully hair that could only mark the girl in the library as Sansa Stark, daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark, who sit on the Wizengamot and are a very old wizarding family from Scotland
  * Margaery has heard the rumors of Joffrey the Gryffindor Beater and Sansa Stark’s failed relationship thanks to her brother Loras, who has played against the prick all too many times in his years as Slytherin Seeker
  * Her desire to forge a connection with the Starks outweighs any fears she might have of insulting the Baratheon-Lannisters by befriending their scion’s ex-girlfriend
  * Joffrey was always an ass to the Tyrells at Christmas parties anyway, and last year he got drunk on fire whiskey and nearly burned down their second-best drawing room
  * ( _Joffrey can stuff it_ , she thinks)
  * “This seat taken?” Margaery asks six weeks before the end-of-term exams and Sansa looks up at her from under her glasses and wow, her eyes are the same shade of blue as forget-me-nots
  * “No, not at all,” Sansa says, shifting her scrolls and books to the side to make room for Margaery
  * Sansa worries that this might be another one of Joffrey’s cruel pranks, sending her house prefect to interrupt her studying, but she adds tentatively, “Margaery Tyrell, right?”
  * Margaery Tyrell positively preens that this daughter of the Starks remembered her name from the past old wizarding family parties, unlike the first-year Arya Stark, who rolled her eyes when Margaery caught her about to sneakily hex Joffrey behind his back
  * (Margaery had been tempted to take points anyway or at least tease Arya about her obvious crush on the Hufflepuff Beater Gendry Waters, but had decided to take the high road)
  * ( _for now_ )
  * Considering how obnoxious Loras is being with talking nonstop about his 7th-year Ravenclaw boyfriend Renly, Margaery appreciates that Sansa is a blissfully quiet study companion
  * When they pack up their things to return to the dungeons, Sansa tentatively makes small talk about the subtle rose embroidery on Margaery’s robes, which starts a delightful conversation about witch fashions and needlework
  * This repeats again and again over the next few weeks, though Margaery starts bringing lemon cakes from the kitchens after Sansa inadvertently mentions them as a favorite treat during a conversation about their families some days after their first studying session
  * It takes a week for Sansa to work up the courage to ask Robb how to access the kitchens, but a week after the addition of the lemon cakes, Sansa sweet-talks the House Elves into sneaking cups of rosehip tea into the library, charmed to not tip over if accidentally bumped
  * They never talk about Joffrey together, but Margaery hears things and doesn’t miss how Sansa guards her books a little closer to her body whenever they walk back to the Slytherin dormitories
  * Eventually, a cream puff laced with sleeping potion makes its way into the caretaker’s hands and sealed records labeled _S., Sansa_ go missing from the school’s files
  * A truth: what Joffrey has done to Sansa Stark is far worse than any of the rumors
  * In April, a thick envelope addressed to Olenna Tyrell is sent from the Ravenry
  * A day later, several letters from Tyrell Manor are sent via multiple ravens, addressed to the Minister, the Board of Governors, and Headmaster Tywin Lannister
  * Joffrey and his cronies have lately stopped tormenting Sansa in the hallways during the nights Margaery walked with her from the Library, but by late April, Sansa notices that they avoid bothering or even talking to her at all, even in class, which suits her just fine
  * It takes reading on the same sofa in the Common Room one night for Sansa to realize Margaery has a cat, a black-furred and green-eyed creature named Midnight who hides in the shadows
  * She is very unlike Lady, Sansa’s dog who lives permanently with the Stark family and has grey-white fur and jumps on Sansa’s lap as soon as she takes a seat anywhere
  * From there, of course, Sansa can’t stop talking about animals and embroidery with Margaery, probably the longest conversation they’ve ever had
  * Margaery invites Sansa to take a studying break by going to the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match which, _bold move Margaery_ , but Sansa accepts as she hasn’t been to a proper game since Arya’s debut as a first-year Seeker for Gryffindor last October
  * (Her family let her sit with them for that game, but were mystified when she demurred from attending future games after getting away from Joffrey at last)
  * (With Margaery, she can safely sit in her House stands and ignore that prick but still cheer on her sister, despite the dirty looks her classmates give her)
  * (They can get stuffed, of course: Sansa is oddly proud of her sister for getting this far as the youngest female Seeker in a generation despite not grasping what all the fuss is about with sport)
  * Exams finally arrive and give neither of them trouble thanks to their weeks of studying and then there's just the End-of-Term Feast left
  * Sansa generally avoids sitting with anyone except her friend Jeyne in Hufflepuff but Margaery and Loras invite them to sit with them and their friends during the feast, and, well, who is she to refuse a friendly offer from upperclassmen?
  * Hufflepuff wins that year for “helpfulness and facilitating interhouse cooperation” over Gryffindor but Margaery knows that had to do with a well-worded letter to the headmaster about his manky grandson
  * On the train ride home, Sansa doesn’t awkwardly insert herself into Jeyne’s friendly but unfamiliar Hufflepuff friends or into the reds and golds of her family’s compartment that remind her so uncomfortably of Joffrey because Margaery invites her to sit with her and Loras and Renly and Brienne (the latter from Hufflepuff House, who is taking the Express for the last time to immediately start her training as an Auror of the Ministry while Renly plans to work in his older brother's office)
  * Sansa introduces Margaery to her parents at Kings Cross Station, and Margaery insists that Sansa might spend some time at Tyrell Manor over the summer to meet others with similar interest in the Ministry and academia
  * (Cat and Ned might have reservations about the Tyrells due to old tensions from the last wizarding war, but they can hardly refuse such an opportunity for their daughter, especially as she looks happier than she did during her moping at Christmas and her letters about Margaery have only consisted of praise)
  * Theon Greyjoy catches Margaery’s eye from where he stands near Robb Stark and he quirks a brow at her, which she pointedly ignores because she owes him no explanation for befriending his foster sister
  * “See you in July,” Sansa tells Margaery, smiling at her before she turns to join her family’s chaotic jumble of red-and-dark-haired yelling children
  * “Don’t forget to write!” Margaery calls after her, but can’t stay to watch her go because she has to find Loras and the family chauffeur, and then it’s off to make her thanks to Nain Olenna
  * _Just two more weeks until I see her again_ , she thinks.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Edited to tweak some details that will matter in later chapters)


	2. Prelude to Years 4 and 6: Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer teatime is better in a garden.

  * Fourteen-year-old Sansa Stark settles into her old family routines by the end of the first week home, which means relearning how to be a sister to Bran and Rickon, walking Lady, ignoring Arya’s pointed jokes about Slytherin House, reading books outside while the others play Quidditch scrimmage games, and ignoring Theon’s prying questions about her friends
  * Technically the Greyjoys live just up the road but Theon is basically family ever since a falling out with his father many years ago led to him rooming with Robb and aside from Quidditch, Theon’s only other favorite topic of discussion is girls-who-might-be-single-and-desperate-enough-to-date-him
  * (An account of his past failings: Jeyne rebuffed his advances in the Hufflepuff Common Room with a well-timed retreat to the girl’s dormitories, Alys Karstark sicced her brothers Harrion and Torrhen on him at the annual Stark Holiday Party and he swears he still has a flavored bean permanently lodged in his ear, Alysane Mormont reputedly cursed a bludger to follow him for an entire fortnight)
  * (He’s a nuisance to be sure, but Sansa can’t find it in her heart to truly hate him, no more than she could ever hate her dour half-brother Jon who stays most of the year at Frostfang Institute in Siberia, except when he visits for Christmas)
  * Asha Greyjoy, a Ravenclaw Chaser, is invited by Robb under Cat’s strong advice to a scrimmage match at the end of the first week so that she has an excuse to see her brother, but Sansa catches Asha staring at her more than once, much to her bemusement
  * Arya invites Gendry to the same scrimmage match and although Sansa keeps her mouth shut and her hands focused on her latest embroidery project (blue roses and green fish to embellish otherwise bland dress robes), her baby sister’s blushes do not go unnoticed and this merits a speedy raven to Tyrell Manor
  * The speedy raven returns with a letter that tells her Gendry is a “good sort” and Brienne’s former Quidditch teammate before she graduated, so Sansa decides to not bring it up with Mum and Da
  * Arya helps Sansa make lemon cakes the second week and tells her some rather hair-raising but highly entertaining stories about the pranks she played on Joffrey, their mutual nemesis
  * “So picture this, Sansa: Gendry and I are waiting right outside of the Quidditch changing rooms with a Bang Bang Boggart Banger, a thoroughly pissed gnome, and Spellotape—"
  * (Cat overhears them but resists the urge to scold Arya when she sees the thawing tension between her two daughters over their laughter and mixing bowls)
  * (Besides, it’s good to see Sansa smiling again after that disaster with Joffrey right before Christmas and Sansa had insisted they stay out of it except to convince Cersei and Robert to make their son break up with her)
  * (She feels that old rage again at the memory of handprint-shaped bruises on her daughter)
  * Ned uses his specially enchanted car to drive Sansa to Wales and thankfully doesn’t lecture her on the Tyrell’s history in the past wizarding war but advises her to mind her words and etiquette around the matriarch Olenna, an extremely powerful witch of Herbology, Potions, and Wit and more feared than the Minister of Magic himself
  * Margaery greets Sansa at the end of the private road that leads to her home
  * (She’s wearing a fashionable ruffled green sundress and has her arms full of Midnight and a smile bright as summer)
  * Sansa’s second favorite thing about Tyrell Manor are the gardens
  * There are so many species of flowers, especially roses, both magical and Muggle, that Sansa stops trying to count them but reminds herself to send a thank you raven
  * After years of only knowing her by reputation, the prospect of taking tea with Olenna Tyrell terrifies her, but—“My dear, how do you ever make such fine chain stitches on your robes?”
  * If there’s one thing that can override Sansa’s fear of all-powerful authority figures, it’s embroidery and soon they are discussing fashion trends seen in Diagon Alley and specialty shops in Edinburgh
  * Margaery can’t introduce Sansa to Garlan, who is studying Dragonology at the Dorne Academy in Spain, but she does introduce Sansa to Willas after carefully broaching the topic of his disability
  * (Old wizarding families, after all, can be rather cold to Squibs, and some even prefer to pretend they don’t exist)
  * (Willas is still a Tyrell by blood and name and as such was educated by Alerie, Mace, and Olenna on all the Wizarding World knowledge, sans the requirement of a wand, and largely assists the family with their Gringotts account because he has befriended members of the Goblin community over the years and facilitated the return of many Goblin artworks)
  * Sansa wasn’t raised to be a bigot and all she needs to ask him is, “So what _aren’t_ they teaching us in History of Magic about Goblin politics?” and Willas is instantly charmed
  * Loras broods much of the time that Sansa is there because, as Margaery explains, there is no way for Renly to visit during Loras’s final two years at Hogwarts
  * A few days into Sansa’s visit, Mace Tyrell surprises his children with a trip to the Ministry so that Margaery and Sansa can learn about the departments (and so that Loras has the perfect excuse to visit his boyfriend over lunch)
  * Margaery and Sansa are escorted through the departments by Mace Tyrell himself and while Sansa finds parts of the tour rather boring, she at least understands better why so much work goes into keeping the Wizarding World running and peaceful and why Mum and Da sometimes return home very late
  * Mum has time to take lunch with them and—another surprise—is accompanied by none other than Uncle Baelish who is very keen on knowing what the girls think of the Ministry and asks them several questions until Mum reminds him that they must return to work
  * Loras finds them after lunch, an obvious bounce in his step, and asks his father if their friends Renly Baratheon and Brienne Tarth might visit the manor because _thatwouldbeproperlushpleaseandthanks_
  * And that’s how over tea (some days later), Sansa hears gossip from the office of Minister Baratheon himself as well as Brienne’s frightfully intense-sounding Auror training and thinly-veiled annoyance at infamous Auror Jaime Lannister
  * A raven arrives later that evening from Catelyn Stark addressed to Sansa, Alerie, and Mace informing them that Ned has been convinced at the last minute by the Minister and his children to take them to the Quidditch World Cup and if Sansa is not interested in joining them, could she possibly stay with the Tyrells just a bit longer as Cat will be busy with her Wizengamot duties?
  * On one hand, the world cup is a chance to see her half-brother Jon, who will be playing as the youngest Chaser of the Russian team
  * On the other hand, the thought of being around rabid fans of the sport for longer than two hours instead of enjoying civilized tea and biscuits with Margaery and her family makes her feel ill
  * (Margaery tries not to feel smug when Sansa chooses to stay longer, but she does feel just a teensy bit smug about it)
  * Loras, unsurprisingly, secures a last-minute ticket to the World Cup when he hears Renly will be there, though not without apologizing to his twin at 5 A.M. the day of his departure for his sudden romantic getaway
  * “Make gay choices,” she tells him with a yawn
  * The rest of the days fly by with Margaery receiving the results of her O.W.L.S. (mostly O’s), Sansa finishing another section of her dress robes, Olenna and Willas’s gossip about the goings-on and Who’s Who of the Wizarding World
  * Russia wins (Sansa _almost_ doesn’t care)
  * Sansa finally returns home with a No-Spill Vase for Mum of the finest blue and red roses from the Tyrell gardens, a yellow rose Margaery pinned into her hair, and a promise to send many ravens between then and September 1st
  * (A moment of silence for all the rapid trips ravens flew that summer between the Tyrell and Stark families although they were fed handsomely with fish)
  * (Sansa did manage to secure a visit with Jeyne that summer but left feeling, oddly enough, that Jeyne seemed much less interested in reviving the same level of intimate friendship they had before they were sorted into their respective houses and the drama with Joffrey)
  * ( _How very odd, to feel like a mere acquaintance to someone you once considered a close friend_ )
  * (Perhaps this is in part why the next series of events unfold the way they do)
  * Margaery will swear up and down that it wasn’t her intention to go to London to shop for her school supplies the same day that the Stark family planned their shopping, but she catches a flash of red hair and forget-me-not blue eyes and there’s her young friend, whirling around to say something to Arya
  * Margaery excuses herself from being Renly and Lora’s third wheel (not that they mind) and ends up spending the rest of her shopping trip with Sansa
  * They _ooh_ and _ahh_ over an expensive set of blue dress robes embroidered with snakes that are studded with real emerald scales; they startle back when the embroidery _slithers_
  * “Now _that’s_ a stitch witch trick to master,” Sansa remarks, moving closer into Margaery’s personal space to better examine the magicked stitches
  * Margaery resists the sudden urge to push back Sansa’s hair where it’s partly fallen over her face and suggests they might research charmed threadwork over the next term with help from Charms Professor Mordane and Librarian Master Ebrose
  * Sansa turns slightly to look up at her ( _oh Seven, her eyes_ ), smiles gently ( _oh no)_ , and says, “I’d like that very much. You really do have such great ideas, Margaery.”
  * “Oi, Sansa!” calls Robb from somewhere behind them and Margaery internally blesses him for preventing her from doing something highly impulsive and lacking in strategy but also curses him seven ways to Samhain
  * Anyway, they reluctantly make their goodbyes and plan to meet again at Platform 9 ¾, the first day of term



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To quote my fellow fangirl-in-crime dcijis/deijis: "Fuck [posting] schedules."


	3. Years 4 and 6: The Triwizard Tournament Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange things are afoot at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

  * “You’re nervous,” Loras accuses when he sees Margaery brush her hands against her robes for the fifth time since they arrived at King’s Cross Station
  * “Just in the _‘I’m gay but I think my new crush might be a straight girl and I haven’t seen her in over a week and my heart can’t handle the stress’_ sorta way,” she says weakly (they can never keep secrets from each other for very long)
  * “Margie, if you’re ever going to figure out if she’s straight or not by the time we take our N.E.W.T.S., I recommend you use your nerves to be that proud ambitchious sister I know and love and by the Seven, make use of me as your godsdamned wingman,” he tells her
  * “You never did these Supportive Gay Sibling discussions when I was going out with Asha Greyjoy!”
  * “She broke my nose during my first Quidditch match! And her brother is a wanker. Also Sansa embroidered Renly and my’s initials on custom pocket squares without even being asked, so I won’t apologize for feeling biased.”
  * They are interrupted by the rumble of many pairs of shoes that could only mean the Stark Family’s arrival
  * Sansa looks the most put together (as usual) in a skirt and blouse combo with her hair tied back with a bit of purple ribbon and Margaery cannot deny feeling Rainbow Butterflies flutter when their eyes meet
  * The Tyrells and Sansa finally made themselves comfortable in an empty compartment when Loras casts _Muffliato_ and tells them that Renly told him Hogwarts is bringing back the Triwizard Tournament with Dorne Academy and the Frostfang Institute
  * Sansa is horrified, of course. “The Tournament that was canceled because students died?”
  * Margaery shrugs because, like, they all know only the oldest students can compete so it’s not like _they’re_ putting their lives on the line for glory and galleons they don’t really need anyway
  * Sansa is quiet the rest of the way to the castle because all she can think of is Robb, who would volunteer to risk his life for the glory of Gryffindor House and Hogwarts without question
  * Headmaster Lannister characteristically announces the Triwizard Tournament by first announcing the cancellation of all Quidditch games for the entire year
  * Chaos erupts, with Arya and Gendry and (surprisingly) Gendry’s shy teammate Pod yelling the loudest and the Great Hall is quickly on the verge of a riot
  * Headmaster Lannister, rolling his eyes, amplifies his voice and explains the nature of the Triwizard Tournament, the rules (only students who are 17 and up can compete), and so on which turns the riotous yells into much quieter rumbling at the tables
  * He also introduces members of the ministry who will be overseeing the events and while Sansa doesn’t recognize the bald man in ill-fitting robes, nor the witch in red robes, she does recognize the short man next to him as Joffrey’s Uncle Tyrion and his Uncle Stannis, as well as her own Uncle Baelish and (to Loras’s obvious delight), a very frazzled-looking Renly who is just visible from the back and has his arms filled with books
  * “Varys and Melisandre, who oversee top secret Ministry work. I hear Melisandre might even work in the Department of Mysteries, though of course that’s all hearsay” Loras tells Sansa when she asks him in the Common Room
  * Sansa reluctantly settles back into her studying routine with Margaery in the Library and they also begin their independent study of charmed threadwork with help from Professor Mordane
  * (Studying, even with the Tournament and worries about Robb distracting her mind, seems ever more important this year if she wants to be prepared for the standardized O.W.L.s next year)
  * Loras joins them sometimes in their studying because while Renly is close, it’s hardly seemly for a sixth year to be caught in a broom cupboard with a Minister’s assistant and he needs a distraction
  * Also: He tells them that he plans to be an Auror like Brienne and needs to start preparing for his seventh year N.E.W.T.s
  * (“Is this payback for all the times I was the third wheel to you and Renly?” Margaery hisses at him later.  
“Give it time, dearest sister, and you will see that this is part of my wingman duties; please don’t question my gay schemes.”)
  * In late October, afternoon lessons are canceled so the students can welcome the delegations from the Dorne Academy of Magic and the Frostfang Institute
  * The Dorne Academy delegates arrive by ship on the Great Lake with gleaming golden sails like the Spanish sun itself and their Headmaster Doran Martell at the bow of the ship and bracing himself against a younger man who can only be his brother Oberyn Martell, famed for his duels during the previous wizarding war
  * The Frostfang Institute delegates arrive by an enormous sleigh that moves effortlessly over the Scottish heath, pulled by what appear to be Siberian Huskies the size of horses, the reins held by the Headmaster and Headmistress Mance and Dalla Rayder
  * Sansa’s heart catches in her throat a little because there is her half-brother Jon, hopping out of the sleigh and helping down a girl about his age who is covered in thick furs except where her dark red hair shows like a flame
  * Her Head of House will probably scold her for this later, but Sansa catches Arya and Robb’s eyes from across the way and then they are running to give their brother a group hug
  * (“Ygritte, my girlfriend,” he whispers to them, inclining his head at the girl and smiling shyly. Robb claps him on the back.)
  * By this time, the Dorne Academy delegates have disembarked and while most of the Academy’s students are dark-featured like Oberyn and Doran, one student stands out like a sore thumb and must be part-Veela: white-gold hair, moon-bright skin, violet eyes, a face that is just a bit too angular to be fully human
  * Sansa darts a glance up to Robb’s face and he looks dazed as he stares at the Veela girl, a bit like he just took a bludger to the solar plexus until she yanks on his sleeve a bit and motions for them to return to the other Hogwarts students
  * At the Welcoming Feast, the Frostfang students are assigned to sit with Slytherin and the Dornish students sit with Hufflepuff, but Robb, Theon, and Arya determinedly get up to sit with Sansa, Jon, Ygritte, and Jon’s school friends: Sam, Gilly, Edd, and Grenn
  * Ygritte speaks with a thick accent and is good-humored, especially towards Arya’s endless questions about Frostfang and before long they are all chattering away as if it’s just another night at the Stark family table
  * “Are they always this loud?” Margaery asks Sansa, eyes wide and she just smiles, because for the first time since her Sorting, the Slytherin table feels like _home_
  * Towards the end of the feast, there is a minor commotion as Stannis Baratheon and Tyrion Lannister enter the hall, as well as an enormous man with a distinctive face Sansa instantly recognizes from her mother’s copies of Witch Weekly Magazine: Tormund Giantsbane, renowned explorer and magical creature enthusiast and host of the radio show _Brave Wizarding Wilderness_
  * Headmaster Lannister introduces Stannis and Tyrion as the additional legally-bound Ministry judges who organized the Tournament and Giantsbane as the celebrity host who will be announcing the proceedings of the tournament on the radio for the Wizarding World
  * Headmaster Lannister summons a pedestal in the front of the Great Hall, and he and Giantsbane reveal the Goblet of Fire, saying that names must be placed in the Goblet and the Champions for each school will be selected the following night
  * Melisandre enters the Great Hall and casts an age line so that no one under 17 can cross and submit their name
  * (Sixth year Theon Greyjoy, who is scarcely more than two months from 17, frowns as he watches the age line form)
  * Sansa watches her brothers Robb and Jon stare in determination at the Goblet and feels her stomach clench
  * Over the next day, older students add their names in a steady stream
  * At dinner the following evening, Theon is missing and Sansa is told that he's recovering in the Hospital Wing after trying to trick the age line
  * Giantsbane announces the drawing of the names and the Goblet flares and hisses like a dragon and spits out scorched slips of paper
  * **Champion of the Frostfang Institute:** Jon Stark
  * **Champion of Hogwarts School:** Robb Stark
  * **Champion of Dorne Academy:** Daenerys Targaryen
  * (The champions leave to discuss the First Task in Headmaster Lannister's office)
  * Giantsbane looks to the judges and headmasters to excuse the students but before they can, the Goblet flares once more and spits out a final name:
  * _Sansa Stark_




	4. Years 4 and 6: The Triwizard Tournament Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No actual dragons were harmed in the writing of this fic.

  * It feels like a nightmare
  * An **_absolute_** nightmare
  * (Maybe she'll wake up any minute now because it doesn't seem possible that her two brothers are competing against each other and now she’s competing, too)
  * Margaery's face has gone pale but she squeezes Sansa's hand and tells her, "Go to your brothers in the headmaster's office. Everything will be okay."
  * Sansa doesn't know how she manages to walk out of the Great Hall without a nervous breakdown while everyone watches her, but she ends up in the office
  * The others, of course, think she is there to support them or send a message until Headmaster Lannister clarifies that she is a fourth Champion (he spits the word _fourth_ like venom, his face like a thundercloud)
  * Jon and Robb move between Headmaster Lannister and their sister and before Robb can say, "There must be some mistake," Daenerys positively explodes in anger:
  * "Three Starks against me? That's not fair!"
  * Headmaster Martell adds, "I agree, Tywin. The Starks have the incentive to remove our Champion from any chance of winning first and then compete against each other, and the odds are obviously in favor of Hogwarts."
  * (Headmaster and Headmistress Rayder add their agreement)
  * Stannis Baratheon clears his throat. "It seems Miss Stark's name was entered by someone who could cross the age line. Known or not to Miss Stark, they submitted her as a student of Ilvermorny in America. Participation in the Triwizard Tournament is as binding as an Unbreakable Vow once the Champions are selected. She must compete or face dire consequences."
  * Headmaster Lannister is deep in thought for a minute that to Sansa seems to last forever and then dismisses the students so that the judges and her Head of House can discuss the matter and fire call Mum and Dad
  * "Don't worry, Sansa," says Jon, "We would never forgive ourselves if we let you die or get seriously harmed."
  * (" _This is just splendid_ ," Daenerys growls.)
  * "I didn't submit my name nor ask anyone to," Sansa whispers, "I don't want to compete!"
  * "We believe you," Robb tells her but Daenerys storms past them once they are out of the stairwell and stomps off
  * Margaery is waiting up for her on one of the sofas by the time Robb and Jon leave her at the entrance to Slytherin's Common Room
  * Sansa gratefully accepts the armful of Midnight Margaery offers to her and buries her face in the cat’s fur
  * "We _are_ going to figure this out, you and I," says Margaery, tentatively reaching out a hand to stroke Sansa's hair soothingly
  * Sansa's response is muffled but so very _Sansa_ : "I _hate_ brooms with a passion but if it weren't for the 'compete or face magical death' rule, I'd steal one and fly back to Mum and Da tonight. Am I really doomed to die in a humiliating and utterly Gryffindor fashion before I turn fifteen?"
  * "Then don't be a Gryffindor: You're a Slytherin. So let’s sort this out like Slytherins, shall we? When's the First Task?"
  * "In three weeks, and that's all they would tell us about it."
  * "Those _bastards_."
  * (Sansa smiles a little)
  * The next day Sansa is called back to Headmaster Lannister's office and sees the judges as well as her siblings assembled, including Arya
  * Headmaster Lannister tells them, "To make the Tournament fair, the judges have decided that while the Tournament takes place, you and your siblings are not permitted to speak to each other without a judge present. If you violate this rule, we will be forced to keep the Champions in isolation until completion of the Third Task. Mr. and Mrs. Stark have agreed this arrangement is fair and they can trust you to hold to it."
  * " _Fair?!_ " Arya bursts out. "I'm not even competing!"
  * But the adults are all in agreement, so the Starks have no choice
  * After a tearful Sansa finds Margaery to tell her the dreadful news, Margaery finds Loras-with-suspiciously-mussed-hair and tells him, "Sansa needs friends the most right now, not a girlfriend. We need to stop **Operation Figure Out Sansa's Sexuality** for now and focus on how we can help her not die in front of her family."
  * (It's the right thing to do to support her friend, but Margaery's heart still twinges even as she tells him this, and they both agree to stop trying to tease out Sansa’s romantic history or inclinations)
  * The next two weeks pass in a blur with Sansa kept busy with her studies and thread research with Professor Mordane and Margaery and Loras's extra training sessions in which they give her a crash course in spells normally taught to upperclassmen and also (much to her dismay) they make her practice athletic skills like running around the Quidditch pitch
  * (At night, the horrible loneliness of being cut off from her family aches like a wound and her yearmates are kind enough to not mention the tears)
  * (Sansa even tries to talk to Theon once he is out of the Hospital Wing, but he rebuffs her rudely and tells her to go back to her Slytherin friends, his face twisted in an ugly grimace)
  * At the start of the final week, Margaery grabs Sansa by the elbow without warning and draws her into a secluded classroom before spelling the door locked and warding off would-be eavesdroppers
  * "Margaery, what—"
  * "Dragons, Sansa. That's the First Task. Garlan told me."
  * Sansa feels a sudden wave of panic and gasps, "I have to fight a _dragon?!_ "
  * "No, apparently you need to figure out a way to get past it. Loras and I will help you figure something out, we promise."
  * Sansa, thinking of her poor athleticism, is not so convinced but figures that death by dragon won't be too humiliating if it comes to it
  * Margaery and Loras stay with Sansa as long as possible on the day of the First Match until at last they are kicked out of the Champion's tent and leave her with a last bit of advice: “Whatever happens, don’t die.”
  * (Even Jeyne visits her to give her a comforting hug)
  * Her Mum and Da are allowed in the tent longer to say their goodbyes as three of their children are competing
  * Mum squeezes her hands and tells her, "Courage, love. You are a Stark like your Da and a Tully like me. We don’t frighten easily."
  * Da kisses the top of her head, and then she is alone with the judges and the other Champions
  * Giantsbane is there, too, and announces the start of the First Task, his voice specially amplified with a wand to transmit via radio:
  * “Alright, you fu— _fine_ people of the Wizarding World. Welcome to the Tri-Quat-Whateverwizard Tournament. You know who I am, but do you know who these Champions are and what they are doing today? Lucky for you that I do! Today our Champions have a simple task: Retrieve the Golden Egg. But ah, here’s the catch and mayhaps where I’ll be more useful: Here there be dragons, one protective mam to each Champion, and they’ll be keen on guarding their clutch. The Champions must grab the egg and avoid smashing the others. The Champions are Robb Stark of Hogwarts, Daenerys Targaryen of Dorne, Jon Stark of Frostfang, and in a shocking twist of affairs, the young lass Sansa Stark who is not a Yank from Ilvermorny but a ginger like me so that’s in her favor. Yes, that makes three Stark children competing today, Old Gods and whisky preserve their family’s nerves. The Champions will now choose their dragons.”
  * Sansa’s name is selected first and Tyrion Lannister presents her with a bag from which to choose a dragon: a Welsh Green figurine crawls out on to her hand and breathes a tiny flame
  * (Robb audibly sighs in relief)
  * Robb selects the Swedish Short-Snout
  * Jon selects the Hungarian Horntail (and winces when it bites him)
  * Daenerys’s name is pulled last and she selects the Chinese Fireball
  * A canon fires to mark the start of the task and Sansa, hearing Giantsbane’s continued commentary as if from faraway, enters the field to face her dragon, which indeed looks like a much larger and hungrier version of the figurine, protectively curled around her eggs, the golden egg barely glinting in the overcast weather
  * Sansa is, for a second, tempted to charge the Welsh Green dramatically like her siblings would do, but that is a Gryffindor move and she is not a Gryffindor, so instead she points her wand like Margaery and Loras trained her to do and casts _Brachiabindo_
  * Even with her limited training and practice, it manages to invisibly bind the Green’s wings to her body (although the dragon can easily struggle against her bonds), which is why Sansa follows up with transfiguring a rock into spun copper and charming it to stitch the dragon’s eyes closed
  * (In the stands, Margaery stands up and claps)
  * She dashes for the egg as fast as her three weeks of running practice will allow her to go
  * (A solid plan, in theory, but this is when it goes wrong)
  * The dragon thrashes and thrashes around blindly as she approaches the clutch and reaches for the golden egg
  * She has it cradled in her arms when she feels a shadow fall over her and instinctively leans back and rolls from the clutch
  * The Green, thrashing, stomps the other eggs to yolk and shell
  * Sansa has no time to think about that because she can sense the rest of her magic failing to incapacitate the Green any longer and makes a headlong sprint for the Champion’s tent, and as soon as she crosses the threshold, a team of Dragonologists race towards the Green to bring the enraged dragon back under control
  * “Sansa Stark used a combination of unusual binding magics and retrieved her egg, though not without what looks to be the loss of the clutch. It is now time for Robb Stark and the Swedish Short-Snout to take the field,” announces Giantsbane
  * (Margaery and Loras make their internal thanks to the deities of multiple wizarding religions)
  * Cressen of the Hospital Wing checks Sansa over for serious injuries and permits her well enough to watch how Robb fares with the task as she can’t leave to see friends or other members of her family yet
  * (Jon appears to be praying and Daenerys paces)
  * Robb, thankfully, doesn’t march directly up to his silvery blue dragon, but transfigures a nearby boulder into a dark grey wolf that howls and lopes off in the opposite direction from the clutch
  * _Then_ Robb marches up to his golden egg and takes it, but not before the Short-Snout turns in fury and unleashes a bright blue flame that catches his robes on fire
  * Robb runs back to the tent while using his free hand to throw off the burning robes and pat down parts of his hair that are smoldering, but the clutch of eggs is left undamaged
  * Jon looks visibly terrified as he faces the snarling, enormous Hungarian Horntail but uses _accio_ to summon a Quidditch broom and leads the Horntail in a dashing chase of fire and close calls with swipes from its spiked tail
  * A particularly narrow miss leads to the tail smashing a few of the eggs while Jon darts around the dragon’s legs to grab his egg but he chooses to fly back into the tent and promptly collapses on the floor as Cressen hurries over to him
  * Daenerys is last and gives the other Champions a feral grin as she exits the tent
  * The red-gold Chinese Fireball is agile and clambers over the rocks near her clutch, seemingly to take a closer look at Daenerys
  * Daenerys stops a few meters from the dragon and picks up a large stone, then points her wand at herself, and casts something that from the wand movements appears to Sansa to be a Flame-Freezing Charm
  * This is followed by another complicated set of wand movements that, when finished, make Sansa gasp because Daenerys has formed the illusion of another female Chinese Fireball over herself that holds an egg delicately in its claws
  * The real Fireball shakes its head from side to side but makes no move to harm Daenerys as she approaches it, except to huff a ball of flame in her direction, as if in greeting
  * Daenerys lets the flame pass through her as if it is harmless mist and makes her illusion bow its head and flatten its wings at the real dragon, then circle around and curl up near the clutch
  * It seems as if everyone is holding her breath as Daenerys carefully inches herself towards the golden egg and even Giantsbane has lowered his commentary to a whisper for his radio audience
  * Daenerys grasps the golden egg and immediately swaps it for the illusion egg and then gingerly gets back up, nods regally to the Fireball, and retreats slowly back to the tent
  * The Fireball makes no move towards her, but wraps its tail protectively around the remaining clutch
  * Time slows to a crawl, but Daenerys reaches the tent at last and drops the illusion, breathing heavily
  * The stands erupt into thunderous applause
  * “An impressive display of creative illusion magic with no points lost due to eggs harmed and no humans or structures afire. I have received word from the judges that the winner of the First Task is unanimous: Daenerys Targaryen of Dorne Academy!”
  * Margaery watches an older girl in Dorne Academy colors motion the other delegates to stand and start a stomping chant of “ _Dany, Dany, Mother Dragon!_ ” that spreads to the Hogwarts and Frostfang students like wildfire
  * With the points tallied from each judge, Sansa Stark is in last place due to the loss of the entire dragon clutch
  * When Margaery finds her later, she is curled protectively around her egg and her eyes are red-rimmed
  * She has survived the First Task



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A smol reference to the Musical That Shall Not Be Named appears in this chapter.


	5. Years 4 and 6: The Yule Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogwarts gals, won’t you come out tonight and dance by the light of the moon?

  * “Each of the eggs contains a clue about the Second Task. Without that clue, you can’t hope to succeed. The Second Task is scheduled for late February,” Stannis tells the Champions the day after the First Task
  * Tyrion adds with a grin, “There is another event to mention, but you might like this one a little better: The traditional Yule Ball at Christmas. Fourth years and older are invited to attend the ball and they may invite a date from a lower year. It’s traditional for the Champions to open the dance, so you all need to find a dancing partner before Christmas night. You’re all Champions who have faced dragons and lived to tell the tale, so I assume this shouldn’t be too difficult.”
  * Sansa has the egg on her mind more than who she might bring as a date
  * (The pesky thing has been locked in her trunk ever since she tried to open it and it emitted an unearthly screech)
  * However, as soon as it sinks in that she doesn’t need to worry about impending death for almost three months and can think about pretty dresses and dancing, she brightens because _at last_ , she has an excuse to wear the dress robes she embroidered over the past summer
  * Theon stops her in the hallway on the way back to the Slytherin Dungeon and looks nervous
  * “I’m sorry about what I said to you weeks ago; it was rude and I shouldn’t have said it. Can we talk?” (Sansa nods and they begin walking together.) “I’ve been stupid and I got stupidly jealous of you after your name was chosen because I wanted it to be me and I didn’t even stop to think about how dangerous it would be for you until I saw you with that dragon. I want to help you, but I don’t know how.”
  * (His voice has a note of pleading desperation to it and Sansa thinks for a bit as they walk)
  * “I accept your apology,” she says at last, “And in fact, I think there is a way that you can help me with the tournament.”
  * (They smile at each other, friends once again)
  * Sansa’s loss at the First Task doesn’t go unmentioned, as much as she wishes she could move on from it: her Housemates seem colder to her and badges supporting Robb as the “true” Hogwarts Champion start popping up on robes and bags everywhere in her classes and at mealtimes, as well as badges in support of Jon and also dragon-themed ones supporting Daenerys, but none appear in support of Sansa
  * Margaery and Loras valiantly push Sansa back into their magic-and-sport training sessions and even Professor Mordane tells Sansa she has made good progress in her work on charmed threadwork and that she should really keep on with it if she desires to become a great stitch witch someday
  * Margaery also seems more focused during their studying sessions in the library and tells Sansa and Loras, “I’ve thought about it and I’ve decided that I don’t just want to be a prefect: I want to be Head Girl next year, which means impressing Headmaster Lannister in the only languages he speaks: education and ambition.”
  * Between lessons, training, and research, Sansa is far too exhausted to even think about figuring out the clue trapped in the egg and besides, it is much more entertaining to watch the public proposals made by students who are asking their dates to the Yule Ball
  * (One night, Arianne Martell, Headmaster Martell’s daughter, glides to the Ravenclaw table with an escort of her cousins, presents a shocked Asha Greyjoy with a bouquet of golden roses and Spanish sweets, and waits expectantly for an answer. Asha, dumbfounded, stammers out a _yes_ , and Arianne smiles and kisses Asha’s hand before she struts back to Hufflepuff table like goddamn royalty)
  * (“Honestly, I haven’t seen Asha that happy since Ravenclaw won the Quidditch Cup,” Theon tells Sansa later)
  * Margaery can’t help herself one day in mid-December when she and Sansa are reading in the Common Room and asks while trying to keep her voice as light and friendly as possible, “So who are you thinking of to bring as a date to the Yule Ball?”
  * Sansa smiles mysteriously. “Oh, I’ve already got a date in mind, no worries. Who are you thinking of?”
  * Margaery’s traitor heart whispers, _you_ , but instead she says, “I’m not sure, but since Renly obviously can’t ask a student out, I was thinking of doing a sisterly favor for Loras if no one asks me.”
  * “That’s so kind of you,” Sansa says, meeting Margaery’s eyes over the top of her book, which makes Margaery’s stomach promptly somersault
  * “But who is this mystery date of yours?” Margaery wants to know
  * “I suspect you’ll find that out before long. I can’t spoil the surprise.”
  * (Margaery manages to only mildly obsess in private over who Sansa might be thinking of as a date)
  * One morning at breakfast, Theon walks over to the Slytherin table and reveals a bouquet of blue roses and Scottish wildflowers wrapped with blue ribbon and says to Sansa, “I realize I’ve made a right arse of myself recently and I want to make it up to you. Sansa, will you go to the ball with me?”
  * Sansa beams and accepts his proposal and exclaims over the flowers
  * (Margaery’s smile is frozen on her face and all she can think is: _Oh_ )
  * Sansa is still forbidden to talk to Jon without a judge present, but she doesn’t miss the commotion further down the table when Ygritte slaps her hands down, stares expectantly at Jon, and says, “Eh, Champion? Fucking ask me!”
  * (Perhaps the most dramatic proposal is the one that happens quietly, in a secluded corner near the Quidditch pitch one day:  
  
“But we’re both Champions,” Daenerys says, forehead wrinkling. “You’re not supposed to ask another Champion to the Ball.”  
  
“We’re not breaking any rules, right?” asks Robb. “And besides, you’re the only girl I want to bring to the Ball. Your illusion magic was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen; I’d like to get to know you a little better.”  
  
Daenerys gives him a once-over, smiles and says, “I think I’d like that.”)
  * Closer to Christmas, Ned and Cat Stark send letters to their children, informing them that they will be staying in Hogsmeade with Bran and Rickon so they can see their all of their children over the holidays, and even with a clearly bored Tyrion Lannister looking on, the family is happily reunited on Christmas Eve
  * Christmas morning dawns with a flurry of snow and gifts and despite the pang Margaery feels about the Yule Ball, she still feels a touch of excitement at the thought of Sansa opening her present from her
  * (Sansa’s gift to Margaery is a headband charmed to grow real flowers that will never wilt so Margaery will always have a bit of the family gardens with her)
  * Sansa arrives a bit belatedly to the breakfast table that morning and hugs Margaery before saying, “The embroidery thread is so beautiful and I can’t wait to use all those colors. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
  * (Loras catches Margaery’s eye and gives her a meaningful look)
  * Later that evening, all the students who are attending the ball are fussing over their hair and clothing and it seems like an age before Sansa finally feels satisfied with how she is dressed and how she has pinned up her hair with blue roses from her proposal bouquet
  * Margaery and Loras, dressed in tailored black and green dress robes that bring out their eyes, _ooh_ and _aah_ over Sansa’s outfit and hair, especially the fish and rose embroidery, (“ _You are the fairest witch of them all, darling_ ,”) and escort her on the way to the Great Hall
  * (Margaery dreams of an alternate reality in which she and Sansa are going to the ball together that night, even if just as friends)
  * Sansa catches sight of Gendry Waters and her little sister dressed in Muggle clothing and walking together and asks Gendry while pointedly staring at her sister (who is doing her very best impression of a floor tile), “You’re not going to the Yule Ball?”
  * “My house is hosting an Anti-Yule Ball Party for everyone who wasn’t invited,” Gendry tells her while scratching the back of his neck. “I’m not the sort to get all dressed up anyway. Don’t worry about the younger years,” he adds to Margaery and Loras as if belatedly remembering they’re both prefects, “We have older years who ditched the ball so they could keep things safe and fun. We ‘puffs have a system, you know.”
  * Sansa doesn’t quite know what to say to that, so she waves them off
  * Theon meets Sansa in the spot designated by Tyrion Lannister for the Champions and their dates and is dapper in navy blue dress robes that fortunately don’t clash with Sansa’s robes
  * Margaery and Loras are waved on into the Great Hall
  * It takes Sansa a moment to recognize that Robb and Dany didn’t bring anyone with them and before she can comment on it, Tyrion tells them to enter the hall and take a seat at the table in the head of the room designated for the Champions, judges, and other people he simply terms “V.I.P.”
  * Sansa is grateful to have Theon’s arm on hers for some stability once they enter because seated at the head table are not only the judges, but also her parents, Uncle Baelish, Melisandre, Varys, Renly, Brienne, an older blond who can only be the infamous Jaime Lannister, and in the direct center: Minister of Magic Robert Baratheon and his wife Cersei Baratheon
  * (Of course she has to make polite talk with her ex-boyfriend’s parents tonight. _Of course._ )
  * Thankfully, Tyrion handles the introductions and Sansa only has to say a brief hello and make a pained smile at the Minister’s joke about dragon eggs before she and Theon are fortunately seated much closer to her parents and Uncle Baelish
  * Everyone at the table, including her parents, is dressed in fine and ornate wizarding fashions and with Sansa’s new appreciation for threadwork over the past few months, she more readily notices details such as the festive gold thread in the tartan on her Mum’s sleeve or the blue falcons embroidered on Uncle Baelish’s overrobe and the silver fish on his vest
  * Over the meal, her Mum and Da make polite talk about schoolwork with Sansa and Theon, avoiding any talk of the tournament or tasks like walking a tightrope
  * Robb and Daenerys are also seated nearby and since the Rayders are as well, Sansa feels it is more than permissible enough to ask her brother, “Is Daenerys your dance partner, then?”
  * Robb startles with a blush and says, “We’re each other’s date for tonight. She’s been telling me such fascinating stories from her studies of dragons in Spain.”
  * “My friend’s brother Garlan Tyrell studies them at the Academy, too,” says Sansa
  * “Garlan?” Daenerys asks. “You know Garlan? The research student?”
  * “The one and the same,” says Sansa, and Daenerys seems to visibly relax a little more at the table
  * “It seems the Tyrells have friends far and wide,” Theon comments, though he looks over his shoulder to check on Asha and quirks a brow as he watches Arianne Martell feed his sister a bite of her meal from her own plate
  * Sansa notices Uncle Baelish glancing at everyone every now and again and asks him, “And how are Aunt Lysa and Robin?”
  * “Right, Petyr,” says Cat, “I’ve been meaning to ask why you aren’t at home with them tonight.”
  * Baelish’s smile is apologetic and he says, “Lysa and Robin are well, thank you. I’m afraid I have important ministry business with Baratheon himself. You might have noticed the two Aurors he brought with him for protection, as well as that brother of his he orders about.” (He inclines his head at Jaime Lannister, Brienne, and Renly and doesn’t say anything more on the matter of the Minister)
  * (Meanwhile, at a table with Loras, Margaery deeply wishes the fruit punch was something a little stronger and resists the urge to roll her eyes when Loras and Renly catch each other’s eyes roughly a million times and looking over at Asha’s utter happiness and glee at being with Arianne only makes her heart twinge even more)
  * Tyrion announces the clearing of the tables, making floor space for the dancers
  * “This is our cue, right?” Theon asks Sansa, who really hopes he has at least _some_ gracefulness because she doesn’t think her thin shoes will hold up if he steps on her toes
  * Tyrion, who seems to be orchestrating all of the Yule Ball festivities, leads the Champions plus Ygritte and Theon to the dance floor and signals for the music to begin
  * (Actually, Theon isn’t half-bad at dancing and fortunately Robb is currently too busy mooning over Daenerys to rib him for it)
  * Other dancers join the Champions, including, Sansa notes, her parents, Jeyne with Podrick Payne (she will have to follow up on _that_ later), Jon’s friends Sam and Gilly, Joffrey’s sister Myrcella and a boy who Sansa thinks might be Headmaster Martell’s son, and also Margaery and Loras
  * “I really do want to help you,” Theon tells Sansa as they rotate around the room, “It’s not fair that they pit a fourteen-year-old against three people who are better-trained and already of age.”
  * “They still don’t know who crossed the age line and put my name in, nor why,” Sansa tells him, “But I survived the First Task.”
  * “No,” Theon sighs, “I want to help you not lose.” At Sansa’s quizzical look, he continues, “I’m in Hufflepuff and we hear a lot of things from the other Houses. And from what I’ve heard, you’ve lost much of the support from Slytherin, and I think even if you survive the Third Task, you may still lack that support you’ll need for the next three years of school. Slytherin House is not known for being very forgiving, especially if they think you don’t want to try.”
  * “I’m constantly training with Margaery and Loras and yet I am still so much further behind the others,” Sansa says, “and I haven’t even figured out the clue with the egg!”
  * “Then you, the Tyrells, and I can work to figure this next task out together. Think about it, would you?”
  * And then the music changes and Theon leaves her to go talk to friends from his house because Asha is dancing with Arianne
  * Sansa decides to get punch from one of the side tables and sit for a moment and as she does, she overhears a furiously whispered conversation between Brienne and a man she guesses must be Jaime Lannister somewhere just behind her back that sounds something like this:
  * (“Look, I didn’t want to babysit my sister and my very important brother-in-law on Christmas any more than you wanted to be kept from your precious father. I had no part in who was assigned, witch.”  
  
“But surely at Hogwarts there’s no need for Aurors. It’s one of the safest places in Magical Britain!”  
  
“The man has had much stranger ideas lately. I wouldn’t worry your pretty little head over it. Who knows why powerful men want what they want? We’ll focus on the damned job and focus on doing it well. Stop hounding me about the whys and why nots of it, witch.”)
  * Sansa is deep in thought when Margaery and Loras find her and ask her to join them in dancing when some semi-famous witch rock band starts to play, so of course Sansa accepts, giving her heart to fun with friends she loves instead of dwelling on questions she can’t answer yet
  * For a moment on the dance floor, caught in time when Margaery takes Sansa’s hands and spins her around and Renly has somehow escaped the Minister’s demands and is dancing with Loras, Sansa feels unspeakably free, like a normal teenaged witch with normal teenaged witch problems and she is _light, light, light_



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never say I don't write fluff in this fic. This chapter was written so quickly that I'm not quite sure when I will finish the next, but brace yourselves: The Second Task is coming.


	6. Years 4 and 6: The Triwizard Tournament Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All I wanna tell you is school is not important. Be whatever you wanna be. If you wanna be a fish... BLORP! You know?

  * The new year dawns and Sansa still hasn’t learned the clue for the Second Task, even with additional help from her friends
  * The egg doesn’t seem inclined to reveal its secrets any more than Headmaster Lannister feels inclined to dance a reel in front of all of Hogwarts
  * Even when she masters a new spell or finishes a new pile of schoolwork or studying threads, there is always more work to do and the end of February looms uncomfortably on the horizon
  * The breakthrough, yet again, comes from Margaery in mid-February, who suggests that Sansa might take the egg with her to the Prefect’s baths
  * Sansa is utterly confused, of course. “How could that possibly help?”
  * Margaery’s smile is coy. “Just try giving the egg a little bath and see what happens. We’ve tried everything else we can think of, right? Why not this?”
  * The prefects baths are surprisingly fancy (or posh, as Loras would say), heated and like a small swimming pool sunk into the floor and a switch she flicks out of curiosity activates a glittery pink bubble bath, much to her delight
  * Sansa luxuriates like a princess before she's brave enough to try Margaery's advice with bathing the egg (which sounds like a prank, except Margaery doesn't prank her friends)
  * She opens the egg under the water and hears faint singing, which only intensifies when she dives deeper in the pool and repeats a short song over and over again:
  * _Come seek us where our voices sound,_  
_We cannot sing above the ground,_  
_And while you’re searching, ponder this:_  
_We’ve taken what you’ll sorely miss,_  
_An hour long you'll have to look,_  
_And recover what we took,_  
_But past an hour—the prospect’s black,_  
_Too late, it’s gone, it won’t come back._
  * Sansa listens to it long enough to confirm that's all the egg will tell her and then has to mull it over for a bit before she finds her friends
  * "Something that can only sing and speak in the Great Lake is going to take something from me and I have an hour to retrieve it or it’ll never be given back to me again," Sansa tells them, wishing everything about the Tasks wasn't so utterly vague
  * Margaery as it so happens, took Care of Magical Creatures and knows a bit more than the rest: "Well, the only sentients in the lake are the merpeople, not including the Giant Squid. But what do they plan to steal?
  * Theon adds, “And how can we keep you safe in the lake for an hour?"
  * "I don't suppose your swimming is better than your running?" asks Loras
  * "I mean, I was certified as a lifeguard when I was 13 so that at least someone would know how to save the Gryffindors in my family from their own reckless stupidity so I'm not terrible or anything."
  * “Well, it’s better than a kick in the arse,” Loras sighs
  * After a few days of deliberation, they rule out underwater options that involve any major forms of transfiguration (one of Sansa’s weaker areas of magic) and set to helping Sansa learn how to cast a Bubble-Head Charm
  * It turns out even harder to cast than threadwork charms because by the night before the Second Task, Sansa’s grasp of it is still shaky and she can barely keep the bubble held together for more than fifty minutes
  * “You’ll just have to find the mermaids at the bottom as quickly as possible,” Margaery tells her, patting her on the shoulder after Sansa screams into a throw pillow in frustration, “I believe in you.”
  * Their Head of House Professor Eglantine interrupts them: “Miss Tyrell? The Headmaster wishes to see you.”
  * “Oh, so he’s noticed me for Head Girl at last,” says Margaery, grinning at Sansa. “I’ll be back soon as I can, darling.”
  * (“ _Ah, Miss Tyrell? No, this isn’t about that, I’m afraid. My apologies in advance…”_ )
  * It grows late and finally Loras collapses on the sofa and tells her to stop practicing the Bubble-Head Charm and get some rest because that’s the best they can do
  * After a fitful night, Sansa meets Loras in the common room to walk to the Great Lake together but Margaery must have left already because no one seems to know where she is
  * Theon catches up to them midway, hollering, “Stop! Sansa stop, please.”
  * “Theon, what’s going on?” she asks, but he motions for her to wait while he catches his breath and she notices his robes are all mussed and splotched with something that looks like green slime
  * “There’s another way to help you breathe for at least a full hour, if not longer,” he wheezes, and opens his hand to show her what looks like a bundle of slimy greyish-green rat-tails. “Gillyweed. I need you to eat this right when the Second Task starts. Forget about the Bubble-Head Charm; it won’t last long enough.”
  * Sansa recoils. “That’s disgusting, Theon. How do even know it will work?”
  * “I’m not half-bad at Herbology and I just know this can help you win. Trust me on this, please?”
  * Sansa reluctantly takes the Gillyweed, but Loras puts a hand on her shoulder and says, “I also want to win, but if you’re not sure about this, I’ll support you even if you lose while using the Bubble-Head Charm.”
  * “I’ll eat the Gillyweed,” she says, “Slytherin should know I’m willing to fight to stay in the running.”
  * Theon claps her on the shoulder and looks enormously relieved
  * Sansa arrives so close to the start time that she only has but a minute to hug Mum and Da before she’s whisked away to where the other Champions are assembled and thus doesn’t even have time to look for Margaery
  * “Welcome back, fine people of the Wizarding World to the Whateverwizard Tournament! ( _Now would the folks in the stands shut their bleeding yaps! We are live!)_ I’m your host and commentator Tormund Giantsbane ( _shut it, and that includes applause_ ). Today is the Second Task for our Champions. Something of value has been taken from each of them and they have an hour to find it at the bottom of the Lake, in damned Scottish February! Better hope they’re good divers, eh?”
  * The clock chimes the hour and (grateful she hasn’t eaten anything else yet for fear of being sick) Sansa eats the Gillyweed and jumps into the lake to get acclimated to its icy cold as soon as possible
  * When she looks around, she sees Robb transfigure himself a seal head, Daenerys cast a Bubble-Head Charm, and Jon must be the wizard splashing in the water in a huge, ancient-looking orange diving suit of some sort
  * She feels gills begin to form on her throat and watches her fingers become webbed even as she feels her feet do the same, so she holds her wand in her teeth and dives below the surface to begin searching for the merpeople
  * The lake is unnervingly quiet after the loudness of the crowds once the Second Task began and Sansa swims deeper and deeper, trying to catch a glimpse or hear the song of the mermaids
  * She isn’t quite sure how much time has passed by the time she hears a distant song like the one from the egg and swims in the direction where the song is strongest, presumably the merpeople’s village
  * The merpeople are who she sees first: Slim-looking creatures with greyish humanoid torsos covered in ropes of jewelry made from pebbles and long, dark-green hair, and yellow eyes and when they see Sansa approach, they smile at her with broken teeth
  * She takes her wand and smiles back (just to be polite), but wavers when she sees humans in school robes bound to a statue of a merperson
  * The merpeople allow her to pass and watch as she approaches the humans and Sansa gasps a lot of bubbles because there, tied near the end is Margaery and also her little sister Arya who are deathly still, and then there’s also Ygritte and a student from Dorne Academy that she recognizes as Arianne Martell
  * Sansa gets close enough to see that they are still alive, but as if in an enchanted sleep and she pulls out her wand to cut their bonds but after only cutting Margaery’s, a webbed hand spins her around and she looks into the eyes of a crowned Merperson who motions at Sansa and Margaery to go back up to the surface
  * “But I can’t leave all of them behind! What if the other Champions don’t make it?” Sansa says, her voice burbling and strange in the water
  * “Only one to each Champion,” the Merpeople’s leader hisses
  * The Merperson retreats a little as Robb swims into the village, bites through Arya’s bonds, and looks at Sansa and the Merperson curiously with his seal eyes before using his quite motioning that they are running out of time
  * That’s when Jon arrives in the strange diving suit, leaping from boulder to boulder towards Ygritte
  * Jon’s gloves seem to be too cumbersome for him to cast a cutting curse on Ygritte’s bonds so Sansa hands him a sharp rock, hoping that doesn’t count as interacting with her brothers without the presence of a judge
  * They are all about to rise to the surface with Ygritte, Margaery, and Arya when Sansa looks at Arianne and says, “You go ahead. I need to make sure Daenerys makes it to the village.”
  * Her brothers seem reluctant to leave her but at last they do, pulling Ygritte and Arya behind them
  * Many more minutes pass before Sansa decides something must have happened to Daenerys and that she must do something that could only be described as “decidedly Gryffindor”
  * She casts another cutting curse on Arianne’s bonds and, using all the lifeguarding skills she has ever mastered, takes Margaery in one arm and Arianne in another and uses the statue to propel herself towards the surface, ignoring the hissing of the merpeople behind her
  * Sansa surfaces not a moment too soon: Her gills and webbing are rapidly fading
  * On the docks, she sees a very bedraggled Daenerys huddled near other students from Dorne, her hair muddy and her skin covered in scratches
  * Willing arms help Sansa, Margaery, and Arianne up and Daenerys leaps up to hug Arianne when she sees her and tearfully exclaims, “I was swimming and then I was attacked by something and the charm broke and I thought I lost you!”
  * Daenerys turns to Sansa and Margaery and gives them hugs, too, “Thank you so much for saving my friend. I owe you one.”
  * “It’s nothing,” says Sansa, who is just relieved to be in a warm towel and able to lean her head on Margaery’s shoulder
  * Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the Merperson with the crown surface and swim over to where the judges are discussing the results of the Second Task
  * “Well,” she says to Margaery, “Even if I lose for being stupidly Gryffindor, I don’t regret it.”
  * “You’re a good person, Sansa,” murmurs Margaery in her ear, “Sorry I couldn’t be with you this morning.”
  * “Tournament results are in, so shut it,” announces Giantsbane to the rumbling crowds. “First place goes to Robb Stark for both timing and excellent use of transfiguration. Second place to Sansa Stark who, while finishing last, demonstrated both morality and good sportsmanship, per the account of Merchieftainess Murcus, Third place to Jon Stark who finished the task in a style I can admire, but the judges lack taste and had to take points for misuse of Muggle artefacts. Daenerys Targaryen is the unfortunate soul in last place today as she was unable to finish the task. Note that per the Ministry’s new rules, no children were in actual danger of drowning today, which I think rather spoils the excitement but I reckon that ensures we can keep putting teenagers in danger. This concludes today’s events, so clear out!”
  * Jon and Ygritte grumble with the Frostfang students about the results _(“I forgot enchanting Muggle artefacts was so strict in Wizarding Britain!”_ followed by:  _“You know nothing, Jon Stark.”_ ) but Sansa sees Theon and Loras running over to them, all smiles, and can’t resist returning their cheeriness
  * She tugs a bit of lakeweed out of her tangled hair and says to Margaery, “I don’t suppose you might let me borrow the Prefect’s bathrooms again?”



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold on to your butts cuz we're getting close to the end of this narrative arc.


	7. Years 4 and 6: The Triwizard Tournament Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello naughty children, it’s Third Task time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warnings in this chapter for mentions of child death and suicide.

  * At the start of March, all Sansa knows about the Third Task is that it is scheduled after the end-of-term exams and will involve the Quidditch pitch
  * Margaery tells her a little more when her parents write to her with the news that Melisandre from the Ministry is enlisting their help to grow something, but even with Sansa's continued running practice near the pitch, they can't tell what it is
  * ("I really hope the pitch isn't permanently damaged before Slytherin has a chance to win the Quidditch Cup again,” Loras mutters)
  * It rains on Sansa's fifteenth birthday but she doesn't mind because all day long, people wish her well and she even sees Sansa Stark for Hogwarts Champion badges on some of her housemate's robes
  * Due to the Wizengamot and Bran and Rickon's tutoring, her parents send birthday gifts and greetings and let her know they will see her at the Third Task
  * At the end of the day, Margaery finds Sansa and escorts her to a classroom that's been decorated for party festivities and has a table filled with sweets and Butterbeer that had to have been the work of some very generous House Elves (she reminds herself to visit the Kitchens sometime to thank them)
  * Her siblings and friends join the party, but Sansa has a sudden thought: "Which judge volunteered to monitor this of all things?"
  * She’s answered when Headmaster Martell, Daenerys, Arianne, and Asha enter the classroom (the latter two arrive hand in hand)
  * “You saved my daughter even though that wasn’t your task,” Headmaster Martell explains, “So this is the least we could do to say thank you.”
  * Asha clears her throat and shifts a little awkwardly. “I know we don’t talk much, but I wanted to say thanks for saving my girlfriend and all that. I owe you one, really.”
  * Sansa thinks better of saying _It’s what anyone would have done_ because that’s not true and the two brothers who certainly didn’t save Arianne are in the room with her, so instead she says, “You’re welcome.”
  * Someone brings out a radio while others start games of Gobstones, Exploding Snap, as well as games from Wizarding Russia and Spain and before long the party is a scene of merry chaos
  * (When Robb and Daenerys excuse themselves and go off alone together after an hour in, everyone is too distracted to notice, even when they return a half-hour later and Robb’s face has somehow become smeared with pink lipstick and Daenerys’s braids are askew)
  * Margaery and Loras find a quieter corner for Sansa to open their presents, a scarf embroidered with blue roses to match her dress robes and top-of-the-line running shoes, respectively
  * Sansa is in the middle of expressing her gratitude when she absentmindedly runs her hands over a rosebud on the scarf and it _blooms_
  * “Did you know you could do that?” asks Margaery, eyes wide
  * Sansa shakes her head and experimentally tries running her hand over another rosebud to see what happens but all she can sense is the threadwork and the magical moment is gone
  * After a flurry of homework and assessments and yet more charm magic practice with Professor Mordane and Tyrell Tournament Training, Sansa longs for a day when she can simply do nothing related to school or Whateverwizard Tournaments whatsoever
  * The opportunity presents itself many weeks later with Margaery and Loras’s seventeenth birthday in mid-May
  * Margaery tells Sansa they prefer to keep their celebration at school small and quiet for the most part because their family is planning a larger birthday celebration that summer
  * (Which Margaery knows will mean her entire extended family is invited to attend and with that in mind, may the Seven have mercy on their wine cellar)
  * Their birthday happens to coincide with a scheduled weekend trip to Hogsmeade and Sansa gets an idea, which is why she requests a meeting with the other Champions in front of all of the judges (and, she hopes, the other members of the Ministry)
  * She notices Renly in the room and says to the judges, “We the Champions can see that something is growing in the Quidditch pitch, but haven’t received any other guidance as we had with the Second Task. Could we possibly get more advice on how to prepare? You must understand my concern as I am a fourth year and consistently straggling behind the other Champions with the tasks.”
  * “The judges and ministry officials will need to discuss this in private,” Headmaster Lannister tells her, and they retreat to a private office, leaving Renly behind to monitor the Starks in their place
  * “Renly, what a fortunate coincidence! I have a letter I’ve been meaning to deliver to you,” Sansa says, and he takes it with a word of thanks, but the expression in his eyes is clearly asking her, “ _What are you up to?”_
  * “Sansa,” Robb says, “I don’t think you should be worrying this much about the Third Task. You’ve been avoiding injury incredibly well, and that’s all we wanted from the start of the Tournament for you. We seventh years can take it from here, so don’t worry about it.”
  * “What do you mean by that?” asks Sansa, narrowing her eyes
  * Robb says, “I mean, one of us in this room is the future winner of the Triwizard Tournament based on our skills and wits, and well, I don’t think…” (And much to Sansa’s increasing irritation, he actually chuckles)
  * Jon nods, smiling at Sansa in that condescending manner of adults who want a child to stop bothering them and leave them to their work
  * (Daenerys, to her credit, has said nothing so far but is watching the Stark siblings with the same rapt attention of an audience member of a Quodpot game)
  * Sansa originally planned this meeting as a clever way to talk to Renly without Margaery or Loras knowing about it and maybe get a hint about the Third Task, but she thinks back to the endless training sessions, Theon’s advice, the support of the Mercheftainess, and the badges with her face starting to appear all over Hogwarts and the next words tumble out of her mouth before she can take them back:
  * “I take it you don’t think I should be thinking about winning. Perhaps you think because I am a fourth year and three years younger and not a star Quidditch player, it is hopeless to try.”
  * (Robb and Jon exchange a glance, eyebrows raised)
  * Jon starts to say, “Sansa, we only mean—"
  * “ _I wasn’t finished_ ,” Sansa says icily. “I have done the work of two witches to get this far in the Tournament and I’ll do the work of two more before June is through. I have friends who believe I can do the impossible. My house believes I can do the impossible. And _I_ believe I can do the impossible. Tell me, do I seem like someone without hope of success?”
  * The tension among the Champions is palpable and before Robb and Jon can speak again, the judges return
  * Stannis tells them, “We can say this much: The Third Task will take place on the Quidditch pitch in a hedge mage with obstacles, and at the center of the maze is the Triwizard Cup. The winner must reach the cup first. Is that sufficient?”
  * It isn’t, but Sansa knows they won’t give her any more details beyond that, so she nods and leaves the room the moment they are dismissed, heading for the nearest girl’s lavatory before Jon and Robb can do anything stupid, like try to talk to her
  * Sansa is staring at herself in the mirror, with the tap running, when she sees Daenerys enter and so she shuts the water off, and says, “Don’t try to talk me out of this, Daenerys, please.”
  * “I wasn’t going to,” Daenerys says, “I wanted to tell you I understand why you feel the need to do this, speaking as a little sister of a pigheaded older brother myself. And you can call me Dany, you know.”
  * “Thank you, Dany,” says Sansa, her eyes stinging
  * “Fight like hell in the Third Task and I’m sure they’ll see they were wrong to discount you, just as I was wrong,” says Dany, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze before leaving her alone in the lavatory again
  * Sansa treats Margaery and Loras to the Three Broomsticks for their birthday and Renly strolls in to surprise them right before noon, just as the letter requested of him
  * “Happy Seventeenth, by which I mean, ‘enjoy the lack of bills and free rent as long as possible’, and you have no idea how badly I needed a break from reading dusty rulebooks and responding to my brothers’ memos,” he says, giving Loras a quick peck before downing a shot of Firewhiskey and ordering a round of Butterbeers for everyone
  * Later, when they are walking back, Sansa presses something small into Margaery’s hand. “A little bit of embroidery art for you that I worked on with Professor Mordane,” she says, “Since my gift to Loras was time with Renly.”
  * The art depicts a green snake wearing a silver crown and curled in on itself and as Margaery examines it more closely, she sees a forked tongue dart out as if testing the air, almost like a stitched photograph
  * “This is incredible,” Margaery says
  * Sansa ducks her head bashfully. “Head Girl or no, I want you to know that I think you represent all of Slytherin’s strengths and I appreciate our friendship.”
  * Margaery links her arm with Sansa’s. “You know what, Sansa Stark? I think we’re going to prove your brothers wrong.”
  * Sansa and Margaery return to their routine of tea and studying in the library during the day and training with Loras and Theon in the evenings as the days grow longer and exams grow closer
  * Fortunately, compared to the stress of the Tournament, Sansa’s exams are a breeze thanks to the constant extra practice with her friends
  * Margaery blames the difficulty of her exams on their preparation for N.E.W.T.s and her distracted thoughts about how to best help Sansa with the Third Task, but aside from looking more frazzled than usual and pulling occasional all-nighters, she manages
  * The Third Task arrives at last on a warm and clear June day filled with the promise of the summer holidays
  * Sansa has had spite motivating her for the past month and distracting her from actually thinking about risking her neck a third time, but as she walks to the Quidditch pitch with her entourage of Margaery, Loras, and Theon she says, "It really would be just my luck to mouth off and challenge my brothers and then fail when I face my first obstacle."
  * "You won't fail," says Margaery adamantly, "We practiced for all sorts of possibilities and I know you're clever enough to creatively think of something if you encounter something new."
  * "And if you win, Robb will owe me four Galleons," adds Theon
  * "Speaking of which, why aren't you and Robb and Jon hanging around each other anymore? I mean, besides the fact that you're helping me and I yelled at them," Sansa asks
  * "Oh, _them_ ," Theon flaps his hand dismissively, "They've become soppy and all 'Ygritte' this and 'Dany' that and 'Do you think my girlfriend is the living embodiment of the Maiden because she’s the Maiden of my heart' etcetera, etcetera. I hate feeling like the fifth wheel and you lot are much more interesting."
  * They separate when Sansa sees her parents waiting for her near the entrance, but before they do, they say their goodbyes and give her a group hug
  * Margaery clasps her hand and whispers fiercely, "You hear that crowd calling for Daenerys and Robb and Jon? Prove them all wrong and then come back to us, Slytherin Champion."
  * Sansa’s Mum and Da give her a hug, too
  * “No matter what happens today, we’re so proud of you all,” Mum says
  * “When you return, you won’t be forbidden from speaking freely to your brothers, but try to remember they are still your brothers now,” Da tells her, patting her on the shoulder
  * The judges assemble the Champions near the maze, Robb and Jon deliberately avoid making eye contact with Sansa, but Dany gives her a reassuring smile
  * "Welcome witches, wizards, and magical beings to the Third and final Task of the well, you know what this is about so I won't repeat myself again. No dragons or merpeople today, but our plucky lads and lasses must navigate a labyrinthine hedge like the wizard Theseus of old! At the center lies the Triwizard Cup and one of these four must find it first. Dangers lurk within and they must not lose their way or risk losing the Tournament altogether!"
  * Headmaster Rayder calls the Champions over and tells them, "Due to the point totals from the past two tasks, Robb Stark will enter first through the center entrance, followed by Daenerys Targaryen and Sansa Stark through two adjacent side entrances, and then finally Jon Stark through the center a minute later. Don't mix up the order. If you are in serious injury or decide to forgo the task, cast red sparks above your spot in the maze and one of us will rescue you."
  * Sansa nods and stares at the forbiddingly high hedges
  * Headmaster Rayder motions for Robb enter the maze; he swallows hard and squares his shoulders, but quickly falls out of sight
  * Dany and Sansa line up at their separate entrances and at their own signal, jog into the maze
  * It is much darker and cooler in the maze, with a slight mist obscuring her visibility, and Sansa starts to run and makes right at the first turn in the maze, followed by another right, and then stumbles to a stop because at her feet lies Margaery: pale, dead, and drowned
  * “No, Margaery, _nonono_ ,” cries Sansa, dropping to her knees, “This can’t be happening; you were alive five minutes ago. _You were alive_ …”
  * A thought occurs to her and she points her wand at Margaery and yells, “ _Riddikulus!_ ” and the Margaery Boggart is suddenly wearing a garish zombie costume like in Muggle movies and smirking at Sansa as if it is all a jolly prank
  * Sansa is still shaken, but forces herself to laugh and the Boggart disappears
  * The next obstacle Sansa runs into is a juvenile Acromantula and while Sansa is no arachnophobe, the Acromantula is larger than she is and snapping its jaws hungrily, so she doesn’t take any chances on it being friendly today
  * _“Confrigo!”_
  * It blasts away from her with a high-pitched shriek and explosion of firey orange light and Sansa mentally thanks Loras for ensuring she had extra practice with that curse
  * Sansa hasn’t run into Robb or anyone else yet, which either means she is hopelessly far behind them or somehow ahead or the maze is far too large for that to be a problem
  * After a few more turns through the maze, Sansa halts yet again when she sees an enormous lion with a woman’s head barring her path ( _a Sphinx_ , she remembers)
  * As she approaches the Sphinx, she watches her and idly flicks her tail
  * “Young Champion,” says the Sphinx, “You must answer my riddle before I will allow you to pass.”
  * “And if I can’t answer it?” Sansa asks
  * “I am bored and I will be forced to entertain myself by playing with you instead, of course. Though most humans tend to not like a Sphinx’s idea of play,” she adds with a growling laugh.
  * Sansa considers her options, then nods. “Alright then. The riddle, if you please?”
  * “My, my, so polite! Here it is: What English word has three consecutive double letters?”
  * It’s been some time since Sansa played riddle games with her siblings but she thinks about all of the words she knows from her studying and takes care not to mutter her thought process aloud, lest the Sphinx thinks it is her final answer. She remembers visiting Flourish and Blotts with Margaery the previous summer and looking at a Wizarding dictionary on display and then—
  * “ _Bookkeeper_ ,” she tells the Sphinx
  * “Is that your final answer, Champion?”
  * Sansa nods, and the Sphinx leaps aside to let her pass
  * She runs around the corner and the maze widens into a large open space: She has arrived at the center of the maze and there, gleaming in the middle, is the Triwizard Cup
  * Sansa’s legs and lungs are burning, but she sprints towards it as fast as she can go and right as she is about to touch it, she hears, “Sansa, _STOP!_ ”
  * Robb is running towards her, his eyes wild, and his robes and hair are dirty and there is a bruise on his cheek as if he has been in a fight
  * “Sansa, I’m sorry for not believing you could reach the cup first, but something that isn’t supposed to be in the maze attacked me and _I don’t know what_ and I can’t let you take the cup if something is wrong with the Third Task. It’s not safe in here and we need to leave _now_.”
  * Sansa’s hand is so very close to the Triwizard Cup and she can almost hear the cheers of Slytherin House and the happiness of her friends when she brings it back to them
  * “Robb, there are many dangerous things in the maze. How do you know it’s not part of the challenge and now you’re just preventing me from rightfully winning?”
  * Robb brushes a hand through his hair. “I don’t know Sansa; I just feel like something is wrong, that what attacked me was _wrong_ , and it’s not what we were supposed to face. Now please, step away from the cup and let’s go before it finds us.”
  * Dany limps into the center as well, even more bedraggled than Robb with her hair pulled loose and arms covered in red scratches and when she sees them, she pauses warily
  * Jon races into the center after Dany and it takes Sansa a half-second to notice the strange blankness in Jon’s eyes as he raises a wand at Dany, who raises her own and shouts at Sansa, “Just take the cup and _go!_ ”
  * Robb reaching for Sansa’s arm is the last thing she sees before she grabs the cup and feels a sickening lurch as she is pulled away from the maze
  * Sansa lands hard on her back in a strange room and sits up, gasping for breath
  * She isn’t alone: Uncle Baelish sits in an armchair, watching her closely and elegantly dressed as if for a day of Ministry duties
  * As she looks to see where her wand rolled away from her, he holds it up with a small smile but doesn’t give it back. “Ah, I don’t think you’ll be finding much use for this,” he says
  * “Uncle Baelish? Why did the Triwizard Cup bring me here? Where am I?”
  * “All excellent questions, dear Sansa, but before I explain the present, let me tell you a bit about the past. Won’t you take a seat?”
  * He indicates the ottoman in front of him and she reluctantly sits, though as she does so, she catches a glimpse of where the Triwizard Cup rolled away from her and Uncle Baelish murmurs, “That’s a good girl. Now pay attention, for this is quite the tale:
  * “Before the last wizarding war, there was a trio of friends much like yourself and the Tyrell twins: Handsome Petyr, Beautiful Catelyn, and Lysa, and they were very happy together, but there was a secret between them, see, because Petyr had fallen in love with Cat and wanted to propose because he knew a love like that would never die for as long as he lived. Before he could, the war began and they were separated in the chaos. When Petyr saw Cat again, she wore a marriage band and was visibly pregnant. She had married a dour Northerner in Petyr’s absence. So when Lysa proposed marriage to Petyr, he accepted because while his heart wasn’t in it, he couldn’t bear to give up Cat.”
  * Sansa, mind bursting with questions, starts to speak but Uncle Baelish holds up a hand to stop her and continues:
  * “Don’t interrupt, girl. Cat seemed happy with Ned Stark, but the man didn’t even have the decency to remain faithful to her even a year and made her raise his bastard. Petyr and Lysa tried for children because Lysa desired them so badly but it seems she was cursed with the same bad luck as Petyr: her first child was stillborn and she suffered many more miscarriages before young Robin was born and the loss of her children drove her mad and paranoid. Only Petyr’s excuses kept her from a permanent residence in St Mungo’s. And yet, Ned and Cat seemed very happy and completely content to leave Lysa and Petyr in their grief while they popped out more babies and made a perfect life together.
  * “And that’s where you come in, my dear. After all, you don’t think you ended up in the Triwizard Tournament out of pure dumb luck, do you?”
  * Sansa mutely shakes her head, her pulse racing
  * “Ah, poor Stupid Sansa, such an easy pawn you were to play, especially when I involved your friends. Do you think it was a coincidence that Garlan Tyrell sent word to his dear sister about the dragons, or that she somehow knew about the egg’s secret, or that Theon Greyjoy had access to Gillyweed, or that Daenerys Targaryen failed the second task or that your path to the Triwizard Cup was no more than a trifling difficulty to a fourth year witch? Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire and who turned the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey? Admittedly, the setup took more than a few Confundus Charms and Polyjuice use on Minister Baratheon and the judges, but no one suspected a thing until I grew careless near the winter holidays, so I’m afraid my well-laid plans all rest on tonight’s success.”
  * “Uncle Baelish, you planned all of this to get to me?” Sansa asks, her voice wavering
  * “No, you foolish girl. I planned all of this to get to Cat.”
  * Uncle Baelish flicks his wand and ropes fly out from under the ottoman and bind Sansa’s legs and wrists together even as she tries to shake them off
  * He leans over her, his eyes very dark, and Sansa’s mouth goes dry. “What are you going to do to me and my mum?”
  * Uncle Baelish cups her chin and strokes her hair gently while she sits, frozen. “It is a shame, what I must do. You do look so much like her before the war began, and I am nothing if but a nostalgic man and even planned to finish this in my childhood home, if you’ll notice. But, ah, the things we do for love can be both great and terrible, and I can hardly let you walk free, even with a Confundus Charm. No, no, that would completely ruin the game.”
  * “Please, Uncle Baelish,” Sansa whispers, “You are a good man and I know it. You don’t have to do this.”
  * “Oh, but I do,” he says. “After all, what could hurt a happy marriage more than the tragic loss of a child, a bright and gifted daughter who pushed herself to the breaking point, who was isolated from her family for far too long and started to look at her wand as a way to end the pressure on her tragically young shoulders. And of course, while the family grieves, the Wizengamot uncovers questionable actions performed by the father during the war and Cat, _poor Cat_ , in all her stress, takes comfort in Petyr’s arms, who is also grieving the sad but necessary action of hospitalizing and divorcing his wife.”
  * He clucks his tongue at Sansa and points her wand at her chest. “Don’t you see, you stupid girl? You thought this Tournament was all about you, but you were merely a piece on my chessboard. And now you needn’t worry your pretty head about anything anymore.”
  * He kisses the top of her head, smiles, and begins to say, “ _Ava—_ ”
  * _—Sansa’s last moments of life slow to a crawl and memories flash in her head: Mum and Da hugging her, a blue rose blooming, Professor Mordane’s applause when Sansa finally animates the embroidered snake, Margaery’s telling her to prove them wrong and to come back to her friends, the call of thousands upon thousands of threads who have old memories of life and want to **move**_
  * Trance-like, Sansa flicks her eyes to the falcons and fish covering Uncle Baelish’s clothing and feels their eagerness; they are so very eager to answer her, so very eager to be released from their immobilized state, _(“And what do you command of us, witch?” they ask),_ and she screams, “ _Necto!_ ”
  * Threads spring and wrap over Uncle Baelish’s extended arm, binding the sleeve to his robes and Sansa ducks as the Killing Curse is deflected over her shoulder in a flash of green light
  * Sansa stares at the threads until he is wrapped from legs to chest in blue and black and silver and when he struggles and starts to speak, Sansa calls to a particularly strong bit of thread near his collar and sews his mouth shut such that he can only make muted sounds of pain
  * She feels the ropes loosen and she pulls herself free, but feels a deep weariness begin to settle over her and knows her bindings won’t hold for long
  * Sansa takes back her wand from where it fell to the floor, and, after a moment’s thought, retrieves Uncle Baelish’s wand from one of his pockets
  * As a final step, she drags her uncle by the shoulder over to the Triwizard Cup
  * “This had better work,” she says grimly, and holding on to Uncle Baelish in one hand, she holds the wands and the handle of the cup in her other and feels another sickening lurch as they are pulled away from that nightmare into another:
  * They are back in the center of the maze
  * Robb, Dany, and Jon are staring Sansa and Uncle Baelish, who makes a muffled yell and struggles against his bindings even harder; some of the threads audibly rip
  * “Don’t just stand there,” she wheezes, “Cast a Full Body-Bind or something.”
  * “ _Petrificus Totalus!_ ” Rob and Jon say at the same time, pointing their wands at their uncle, who freezes like a board of wood
  * Sansa, clutching the Triwizard Cup and the wands in a death grip, decides the grass is a sufficiently comfortable spot in which to pass out and blearily watches Dany cast a shower of red sparks before she gives in to blissful unconsciousness



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me Father, for I have further traumatized a fandom favorite.


	8. Prelude to Years 5 and 7: Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I cast a Cosmetic Charm, shoot sparks out of my wand, cast a minor illusion, put myself in a dope outfit, and start walkin’ down the catwalk with all the style and panache I can muster, which is—I should note—a fuckin’ lot.”

  * Sansa wakes up in the Hospital Wing and when her vision refocuses, she sees her Mum and Da, as well as Headmaster Lannister and Stannis Baratheon
  * “Welcome back, dear,” Mum says, clutching a scarf in her hands, her eyes bright with unshed tears
  * “What happened to Uncle Baelish?”
  * “He’s been removed of his wand and detained for questioning,” says Headmaster Lannister
  * Da clears his throat. “Sansa, we need you to tell us what happened after you reached the Triwizard Cup. It will help the Ministry decide what must be done about Petyr.”
  * Sansa recounts the events in a blabber at first, but then slows and starts speaking haltingly as she remembers Uncle Baelish’s revenge story, his hands on her skin, her own wand used to spell her death
  * When her words catch in her throat entirely, Mum grabs hold of one of her hands and her father holds her other and that makes it easier
  * Stannis and Headmaster Lannister have questions, of course, and she tries to answer them all but starts to panic when she repeatedly can’t remember specific details from what now feels like a bad dream
  * “That’s more than enough,” her Da tells them when he sees her distress. “Let her rest.”
  * Headmaster Lannister and Stannis don’t look happy about being ordered out, but after they leave, Sansa says, “I actually don’t need sleep. I’d much rather see my friends.” At the sight of her parents’ expressions, she adds, “In private for just a little bit, please. I’m sure Robb and the rest will want to know I’m awake, right?”
  * She hears her parents whisper to each other as they leave and they are too far away to be discernable, but she thinks about what Uncle Baelish said about the war and his obsession with her mum and wonders
  * Margaery is the first to Sansa when Healer Cressen allows her friends to see her
  * It would be an understatement to say that Margaery looks upset: Her makeup is smeared in dark blotches running down her face, her clothes look as though she slept in them, and her eyes are red and puffy
  * She kneels at Sansa’s bedside and says, “Sansa, oh Sansa, I’m so sorry—I thought I could trust him—I thought he was helping—I didn’t realize he was going to kill you—"
  * Sansa is taken aback. “But it wasn’t your fault!”
  * Theon is there, too, and he looks as stricken as Margaery. “I didn’t think Baelish could ever do such a thing to his own family.”
  * Loras is standing close to Renly and says, “I never personally met him, but I keep saying none of you were wrong to assume the best intentions of someone.”
  * “He betrayed everyone’s trust and now he will stand trial for it under Veritaserum,” Sansa tells them, clenching the sheets in her fists. “He can’t do anything more to any of us.”
  * She takes Margaery’s hands between her own and tells her, “I don’t think you did anything wrong and I still think you are the greatest friend I’ve ever had.” She meets Theon’s eyes and adds, “And that goes for you, too.”
  * Renly offers Margaery a handkerchief, which she gratefully accepts and uses to dab at her face. “Look at me,” says Margaery weakly, “Making you comfort me when it should be the other way around.”
  * Sansa babbles. “I mean, I just woke up from being unconscious and I’m fairly sure I’m still in shock because I think my uncle will only go to Azkaban and lose all his happy memories to the dementors because somehow I’m alive because I made his embroidery angry and made sure he didn’t get away and also I think I won the Triwizard Tournament which means Hogwarts won? Or did Ilvermorny win on a technicality?”
  * Renly and Loras exchange a glance and Renly tells her quite seriously, “You poor girl. You’d best make sure your parents find you a good therapist this summer.”
  * Sansa hugs her knees to her chest, but she knows he’s right and she manages to tell her friends what happened in the Third Trial and with Uncle Baelish; it’s easier with people she knows won’t judge her and who know better than to ask invasive questions
  * After that, Sansa is interrupted at almost all hours of the day by visitors, from people she actually cares about (her family, her friends, Professor Mordane), to school gossips who have barely said more than five words to her in the past four years but want to ogle and try to pry answers from her for the rumor mill
  * Eventually Healer Cressen throws up his hands and tells her she’s rested enough and can return to the Slytherin Girls’ Dormitory and pack to go home
  * Tyrion Lannister is waiting for her after she leaves the hospital and is holding a heavy-looking bag in his hands
  * He sees her look and says, “Your winnings. The judges agree that meddling from your uncle or not, you reached the Triwizard Cup fair and square with no ill intentions on your part. You are the Triwizard Champion.”
  * Sansa doesn’t really need the money, nor does she want it anymore ( _all she ever cared about was proving them wrong but—_ ), but she takes it anyway and resolves to think of something to do with it by the end of the summer
  * (Before she leaves Hogwarts, Sansa makes up with Robb and Jon but the latter looks horribly upset when she goes to say goodbye to the Frostfang and Dorne delegates and tells her Uncle Baelish put him under an Imperius Curse and forced him to attack Robb and Dany, so at least two Starks and counting definitely need therapy this summer)
  * (Sansa isn’t the only one making their goodbyes to the delegates that summer: Robb and Dany are practically attached at the hip until an irate Oberyn Martell finds them and informs Dany the academy’s ship was meant to leave an hour earlier, so Robb promises to write and travel to Spain in the future. Asha and Arianne would have probably also delayed the delegates’ departure, but for the fact that they are spending their post-wizarding school summer together by sailing around Europe)
  * Sansa’s parents don’t seem to want to let her out of their sight, but they allow her travel on the Hogwarts Express so she has more time to be with her friends, although her siblings check in on their compartment every now and again
  * “When’s your grand birthday celebration?” Sansa asks Margaery and Loras
  * “Late July, supposedly,” says Margaery, giving Midnight scritches between her ears. She wrinkles her nose. “Oh no, that means we have to talk to Leo this summer.”
  * “I, like, really hate that prick,” Loras says vehemently. “Although, Nain Olenna always takes care to send him on his way with his ego punctured and it’s a thing of beauty to behold.”
  * “You know you’re welcome to visit again this summer,” Margaery tells Sansa. “Nain would love to see your threadwork progress.”
  * Sansa winces and says, “Well, the thing is, my parents want to keep me closer to the family home in Scotland until the trial is over. I actually wanted to invite you to visit, since I think they’ll be more comfortable with that than my going to Wales.”
  * Margaery has practically dreamed of the day when she can talk to Eddard and Catelyn Stark about their work in the Ministry of Magic and very carefully takes her instinctive response to enthusiastically happy dance down several notches until she can breathe, “I would love that.”
  * After nudging Loras with her elbow, he starts and says, “Oh right, yes. Scotland. Stark Scotland. Lush.”
  * When they arrive at King’s Cross, Sansa’s parents give permission for Margaery and Loras to visit and this time instead of a car, Alerie and Mace arrive together to drive their children and express their condolences to the Starks
  * (“Simply terrible, what happened to your family,” says Mace to Ned  
“That minger will be in Azkaban soon enough,” Ned says, scowling)
  * “Send a raven!” Margaery calls after Sansa and Theon when they leave the platform
  * “You still haven’t told her yet?” asks Loras
  * Margaery huffs. “It never seems like the right time.”
  * Loras rolls his eyes. “Margie, don’t wait for the planets to align before you let her know. We only have like one year left. Oh and by the way, I reckon we can drop the whole ‘sneakily pester the girl into talking about all of her crushes’ plan and skip ahead to talking to her plainly.”
  * “Why?”
  * “Let’s just say I have good instincts.”
  * The Ministry asks if Sansa is willing to testify at the trial of Petyr Baelish in person, but she declines and sends a written testimony with her parents instead because she has seen quite enough of her uncle, _thank you very much_ , and her new therapist, (a local witch named Berena), has advised Sansa to stand firm on her boundaries
  * (Sansa wakes up most nights in a cold sweat from dreaming of the Killing Curse’s green light and Uncle Baelish’s voice in her ear, and she shies away from touching strange inanimate objects unless she sees someone in her family touch them first. After the first few restless nights at home, Mum and Da relent and allow Lady to sleep in her bed)
  * In early July, Margaery and Loras Apparate to Hogsmeade, then hire a car to take them the rest of the way to Winterfell, the ancestral home of the Stark wizarding family for more than a millennia
  * Sansa meets them at the door, dressed like a Muggle girl in jeans, and introduces them to Lady, her exceptionally well-behaved dog who sits at her feet quietly and a direct contrast to Nymeria, Summer, and Shaggydog, who jump up on Margaery and Loras before Arya, Bran, and Rickon catch up with their dogs and get them under control
  * “Sorry, sorry!” Sansa says, aghast at the fur and slobber all over Margaery’s dress and Loras’s trousers, but Margaery laughs and casts a cleaning spell and everything is all right again
  * Theon’s first remark to them since King’s Cross is to challenge Loras to a scrimmage match as they are both woefully behind on Quidditch practice thanks to the Triwizard Tournament
  * The first day of Baelish’s trial in London, a Howler arrives at Winterfell addressed to Sansa Stark from Aunt Lysa, but before it can shriek more than a word, Loras casts a Silencing Charm from across the room and shrugs when they stare at him
  * “Force of habit. Got more than a couple of those from old wizarding folk with one foot in the grave and one foot firmly stuck up their arses after Renly and I started going out.”
  * (The Howler explodes soundlessly)
  * Margaery and Loras appear to be a bit overwhelmed at first at the happy chaos of the Stark Family, with all its noise and animals and people who visit just to say hi, so at first they stick close to Theon and Sansa, but after a few Quidditch scrimmages, Arya informs Margaery and Sansa that she and Gendry are stealing Loras as a permanent member of their summer scrimmages _and no takebacks_
  * Robb sometimes joins them but stays busy sending ravens to Daenerys and letters to potential employers in Spain and embarks on loudly studying Galician for an entire week before Margaery steers him back to studying Spanish aka the actual language of Daenerys’s adoptive family, which she happens to know thanks to many family holidays to Seville
  * The trial lasts longer than a week, but at the end of long days with the Wizengamot, Cat is still kind enough to talk about the Ministry of Magic with Margaery (who does her best not to fangirl)
  * “Thinking about joining the Ministry, dear?” Cat asks after answering some of Margaery’s more specific questions about the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
  * “Something like that,” says Margaery
  * Sansa and Margaery are relaxing in the family library one night while the others are playing Quidditch outside when Sansa sees Mum and Da in the doorway, tired, but looking satisfied
  * When she goes to them, her Da tells her, “He’s been sentenced to Azkaban. Life sentence for use and attempted use of more than one Unforgivable Curse, kidnapping and attempted murder, impersonation of Ministry officials, confounding the Minister of Magic, and attempted conspiracy. We could have prosecuted on the Unforgivables alone but—”
  * “—I insisted on the other charges. He will never see me nor our children ever again,” says Mum, her voice steely
  * “And Aunt Lysa?” Sansa asks, thinking of the Howler
  * “I will handle my sister,” she says in the same manner as one who has committed herself to handling a giant
  * Margaery and Loras reluctantly end their stay after their father sends a raven to request their help with the party planning, with yet another reminder that their entire extended family has been invited
  * Before they leave, Margaery tells Sansa, “You’re invited if you can be there. The evening of July 31st, same manor, and I would rather you be there than my cousin Leo.”
  * “I’ll have to ask,” says Sansa, and Margaery _hopes_
  * Sansa normally loves the excuse to dress up pretty and go to a party, but this time, she hesitates because, well, she’s not entirely sure, except that she remembers the raw, freezing horror when she saw the Boggart and being around a very much alive and happy Margaery makes her feel jittery
  * Over the next week or so, Sansa notices Theon has stopped his full days of Quidditch practice and often disappears for several hours before returning
  * He _is_ seventeen and so what he does is really no one’s business, not even his foster parents’, and yet Sansa can’t resist asking him about it, and much to her surprise, Theon spills his secret right there and then:
  * “There’s a Muggle girl I’m meeting in the village. Gysella Goodbrother. She’s sweet and we talk to each other about, well, almost everything.”
  * Sansa wrinkles her brow. “A Muggle girl? But what if she finds out you’re a wizard?”
  * Theon grins cheekily. “Well the funny thing is, she’s not half-blind to the strange things going on around here and she believes magic exists, though her idea of magic is rather strange and seems to involve rather a lot of quartz and chanting and dyed candles. I don’t think it’s hopeless.”
  * “And talking to her while we’re at school? Those fellytone things don’t work there, you know.”
  * “ _Telephone_ ,” he corrects, and explains, “Already thought of that: She’s friendly to ravens already so all I need to do is teach her how they work and make up something if I don’t tell her I’m quite magical myself.”
  * “Well, I’m glad for you, Theon,” she tells him, and she really is, though she feels lonely when she can’t talk to her friends as readily anymore, so she sends Margaery more ravens and stews over whether or not to intrude on the Tyrell’s party after all
  * “Robb, what do you do when there’s something you really want to say yes to, but also no because the thought of it makes you feel very jittery?” Sansa asks when there’s barely a week to go until the party
  * Robb sets down his reading glasses and asks, “What’s this about?”
  * “Margaery invited me to her family’s party for her seventeenth next week. But I haven’t asked Mum or Da if I can go yet.”
  * “They won’t say no to that, Sansa. But what will you miss if _you_ say no?”
  * Sansa shrugs her shoulders. “I’m not sure; I just feel jittery.”
  * “It sounds like you’re looking for permission to say yes, so uhh, just say yes?”
  * She perks up. “Right. Thanks. I’ll go ask Mum right now.”
  * “Good… talk?” Robb calls after her, but she’s not listening because her thoughts are all Margaery
  * Sansa gets permission not only to go to the party, but also to stay for a little bit into August, so while Sansa still can’t shake the nervous feeling, she considers it a success
  * When her Da drops her off at Tyrell Manor the evening of the party, Sansa actually has to walk a ways to meet Margaery at the door because the driveway is so overloaded with various wizarding vehicles
  * “I’m so glad you could make it!” Margaery is visibly relieved. “I’ve been forced to hear Leo’s skirt-chasing stories all night and I am increasingly tempted to hex him.”
  * “And Loras?” asks Sansa, fiddling with her dress
  * “With Renly, and they are completely inseparable and refuse to rescue me, and I quote, ‘We’d rather chew glass than talk to that arsehole,’ end quote. So thank Seven you’re here!”
  * Sansa greets Alerie, Mace, and Olenna and Sansa’s trunk is stowed in Margaery’s bedroom for lack of any free guest rooms with all the Tyrell family members staying overnight, as drinking and driving (or Apparating) is highly frowned upon in both wizarding and Muggle culture
  * She’s drinking Party Punch with Margaery and marveling at just how many people can fit onto one floor of the Manor (there must be at least a hundred), when a soft, mocking voice nearby says,
  * “Oi, so that’s where you wandered off to, cos. And, look, you brought a fit bird back with you. Hiya, I’m Leo Tyrell.”
  * Leo Tyrell is pale with ash-blonde hair falling over his forehead and shares Margaery’s hazel eyes but Sansa recognizes a cruel twist to his mouth and an aggressive lean in his posture that reminds her so much of Joffrey that she instantly freezes
  * “Well, aren’t you going to introduce us?” Leo asks Margaery
  * “Actually, I don’t think I will,” Margaery says, eyeing Leo like a particularly slimy insect. “In fact, she and I were just leaving, so why don’t you make sure you greet Nain before she notices you’ve been avoiding her all night?”
  * Leo raises his eyebrows. “Ah, so she’s one of those _particular_ friends of yours, is she?”
  * “Buzz off, Leo,” snaps Margaery and she puts her arm around Sansa and they don’t quite run away from Leo, but they do trot very quickly out the back of the Manor and into the rose gardens where Margaery finally stops when she finds a bench for them to sit
  * “Sansa,” Margaery says, turning toward her, “We’ve never discussed what happened between you and Joffrey, did we?”
  * Compared to Uncle Baelish and the Triwizard Tournament, Joffrey feels like even more of a distant nightmare and it’s been well over a year since he or his friends bothered her, even when the Tournament could have given him ample opportunities to catch her without her siblings to protect her
  * “He’s a horrible boy,” says Sansa, wondering where Margaery is going with this. “I’d much rather forget about him.”
  * “Well, I have to confess something to you: I read your school file and what Headmaster Lannister covered up in your third year. And I asked Nain to write to the Board of Governors to put pressure on the Headmaster to keep his grandson from further harming you.”
  * “But why would you do that? You barely knew me!”
  * Margaery smiles. “We’re Slytherins: We protect our own. It’s not the first time a Gryffindor decided to pick on a Slytherin and it didn’t really matter if I called you a friend then or not. Joffrey needed to be stopped and my Nain made sure of that.”
  * “Well, a belated thank you, I guess,” says Sansa, scuffing her shoe against the garden path.
  * “You’re welcome.” Margaery gathers her courage and adds, “There is another thing I need to confess to you, actually.”
  * “What’s that?” (Sansa’s nervous feeling returns)
  * Margaery runs a hand through her curls and tells her, “Erm, _I’mkindofalesbian._ I mean, not _kind of,_ I’m very much a full-time lesbian because we don’t take holidays off and—"
  * Sansa puts her hand on Margaery’s arm to stop her from rambling any further. “Thank you for telling me and trusting me with this.”
  * For all of ten seconds, Margaery re-evaluates everything she thinks she knows about Sansa Stark. “You’re not upset that I kept this from you for more than a year?”
  * Sansa shrugs. “Who am I to decide when or how someone comes out? Your sexuality has hardly any bearing on what I think.”
  * (Cue Margaery’s internal screaming)
  * “Right then,” she says, standing up. “Want to go back to the party or stroll in the gardens for a bit?”
  * “A bit of both sounds nice.” Sansa links her arm with Margaery’s, just like old times, and they stay together and dodge Leo throughout the rest of the Tyrell festivities until Olenna unceremoniously shoos her family out of the manor or into the upstairs bedrooms
  * (Sansa wakes up in the middle of the night from a nightmare about Uncle Baelish and Joffrey trying to grab her and almost panics when she can’t find Lady at her feet, but when she rolls over and watches Margaery sleeping deeply in the bed across from her, it calms her enough that eventually she falls back asleep again)
  * The rest of Sansa’s stay is a little bit like the past summer: taking tea with Olenna and discussing embroidery, talking Goblin politics and wizarding gossip with Willas, and walking in the gardens with Margaery whenever Loras is too busy visiting Renly to play a game of Wizard’s Chess or brush up on studying
  * It’s also not quite like last summer because one morning, two ravens arrive at the Manor bearing letters addressed to Sansa and Margaery, respectively
  * Margaery eagerly opens hers first and yelps before clapping her hands over her mouth
  * Sansa pauses with the letter opener. “What does it say?”
  * Margaery slides the letter over to Sansa, who exclaims when she sees the badge nestled within:
  * “You’ve been named Head Girl! Headmaster Lannister remembered you!”
  * They share a quick hug before Sansa turns to her own letter with apprehension. They wouldn’t rescind her Triwizard victory over a month later, would they?
  * She barely has time to read her name at the top of the letter before a small green badge emblazoned with a letter _P_ falls onto her lap
  * “I’m a prefect?” Sansa whispers, brushing her fingers over the badge
  * “It’s well-deserved, especially after you saved Arianne Martell,” Margaery tells her
  * Sansa stands up and reads her letter in full before racing upstairs. “I have to write Mum and Da!”
  * This summer is also different in that Sansa and Margaery plan this time to meet in Diagon Alley on the same day
  * (Margaery offers to pick up the items on Loras’s school list so he can spend the day with Renly. Loras is more than happy to do so, especially after she tells him about coming out to Sansa, though he raises his eyebrows when she adds that she didn’t tell Sansa she was interested in her specifically. “Only one more year left at Hogwarts, Margaery…”)
  * They finish their school shopping rather uneventfully, aside from running into Pod and Jeyne together at the ice cream shop and the two Hufflepuffs are only too eager to chat like old acquaintances and share the happy news that Pod has been named Head Boy while Jeyne has been named a Prefect like Sansa
  * Sansa can’t extend her stay at Tyrell Manor any longer, so she returns home, wondering why her nerves have yet to settle down after the party when she doesn’t wonder about being a prefect and the O.W.L.s in her future
  * (Berena advises her to write her feelings down in a diary and Sansa isn’t sure how “ _Dear Diary, Today I feel muddled and internally chaotic_ ” is very helpful, but she writes anyway)
  * After many long talks with Mum and Da and also Berena, Sansa decides what to do with her winnings from the Triwizard Tournament:
  * With help from her parents, she starts the _Tully Fund_ at St Mungo’s: A charity to provide mental health services to parents who have suffered the loss of a child
  * (“Are you sure you don’t want to use your name?” her Mum asks, but Sansa shakes her head.  
  
“I’m not dead, and besides, my cousins deserve the honor more than I do.”)
  * On August 31st, Margaery takes her Head Girl badge from where it is folded into her school robes and the crowned snake patch and thinks about the final year ahead of her



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This next arc covers the fluffier remaining chapters. The fic will wrap up around the time Margaery and Loras graduate.


	9. Years 5 and 7: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wise witches know that if magic gives people what they want, then not using magic can give them what they need.

  * On September 1st, Margaery, Sansa, Theon, and Loras share a compartment on the Hogwarts Express again, but this time they are joined by Arya, Gendry, and Bran, the latter of which is starting his first year at Hogwarts and is very obviously trying to put on a brave face but failing miserably
  * Sansa admittedly hasn’t spent as much time with Bran and Rickon as she’d like over the past few summers, which is largely her own fault for spending more time with her friends and older brothers than her younger ones, but she tries again with Bran anyway
  * “Are you excited for the Sorting Ceremony?”
  * Bran makes a face and rolls his cane in his lap. “Dunno. What if the Sorting Hat sticks me in a House where they make fun of my legs?”
  * (A tangent—if the reader will humor it—to approximately eleven years ago at the birth of Bran Stark at St Mungo’s, where the Healers discovered he had been born with what they term “Wizarding Malformations”: abnormally formed parts of the body that are irreversible by any healing spell or potion like Skele-Gro, although those affected can usually get by with prostheses and other mobility aids)
  * “If they make fun of you or your legs, I’ll personally knock their teeth out,” says Arya, flexing her hands
  * “ _Or_ ,” Sansa cuts in, glancing sharply at her sister, “We prefects and Margaery can handle it. No need to make Gryffindor lose points by fighting, Arya.”
  * Arya rolls her eyes and huffs but Gendry distracts her by pointing out the food trolley rolling up to their compartment, so Bran’s worries are set aside for now in favor of Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, and Pumpkin Pasties shared among the children
  * Partway through the journey, Margaery, Loras, and Sansa leave to attend a meeting in the prefects’ carriage led by both Margaery and Pod, who walk the new prefects through their duties (such as escorting first years on their first day and patrolling hallways near curfew) and perks such as the bathroom Sansa used for the Second Task
  * At Hogsmeade Station, they wish Bran luck as he and the other first years separate to board the Hogwarts boats to the castle
  * “Do you remember ever being that small?” Margaery asks her brother as they watch the boats cross the Great Lake for the last time
  * “Not really,” says Loras. “We’ve become quite tall and distinguished, Margie.”
  * (Theon looks at the boats and the castle, then the carriages, and thinks about everything he has to eventually explain to Gysella)
  * Sansa, Margaery, and Loras sit at the Slytherin table while Theon, Gendry, and Arya go to their respective tables, but the Great Hall feels emptier without Robb and the delegates from Frostfang and Dorne
  * Headmaster Lannister calls for the Sorting Ceremony to begin and the first years trundle in, led by Professor Ebrose
  * Sansa tries to make eye contact with Bran, but he isn’t looking anywhere but where he steps, guarding his cane close to his body
  * The Stark Family is almost always sorted last, but Sansa watches as Joffrey’s little brother Tommen is sorted into Hufflepuff and Jojen Reed (one of the boys from a neighboring village who she recognizes from past Stark Christmas parties) is sorted into Ravenclaw
  * Then it’s Bran’s turn: Bran says nothing as he wears the Sorting Hat, but his face is scrunched up in concentration and he’s breathing shallowly
  * “ _RAVENCLAW!”_ shouts the Sorting Hat at last
  * Bran’s eyes are downcast and he shakily walks towards his new housemates
  * With a pang, Sansa remembers the day she was sorted into Slytherin and how her family watched her walk to the table in shocked silence
  * She stands and applauds Bran, and Margaery and Loras whoop and join her in clapping for him
  * Arya, Gendry, and Theon stand at their tables and applaud Bran as well, much to the confusion of their housemates as well as Ravenclaw table
  * When Sansa finally sits, she sees Bran grinning a little and Jojen patting him on the back
  * “You know,” Margaery says, “My brothers and I were always in the same House together and I never considered how difficult it might be for families when the siblings are separated.”
  * “Well, I’ve managed for more than four years now, though I mostly managed because of my friends. Bran and Arya will manage, too,” Sansa tells her
  * Headmaster Lannister makes the usual announcements and warnings about Hogwarts’ various terrifying dangers at the start of the Welcoming Feast and this year makes no mention of any major events like the past year, but towards the end, he beckons a witch and a wizard forward from where they have been lurking in the shadows behind the staff table: Brienne Tarth and Jaime Lannister
  * “Due to the events of the past year, the Board of Governors has appointed two Aurors as extra security for the school and to provide practical defense classes where you may have more time to apply your lessons. Miss Tarth and Master Lannister will be hosting lessons and tutoring throughout the year. All are invited to attend.”
  * (Loras whistles and says, “ _Wicked._ ”)
  * Sansa tries not to overhear the other students at the Slytherin table whispering, but it’s hard when she catches mentions of her name and her uncle, too
  * Margaery squeezes her hand and smiles reassuringly, so Sansa lets out a shaky breath and tries to enjoy the rest of the feast
  * (After the feast, Sansa makes a quick trip to the Ravenry to send Berena a letter: Writing down the thoughts on her own first year at Hogwarts as well as the aftermath of her fourth year helps, but she’s especially grateful when Midnight curls up near her in the common room later that night)
  * This year, each of her professors makes an announcement at the start of class about the O.W.L.s, and by the sound of them, Sansa mentally prepares to make the Hogwarts Library her home away from home for the next several months
  * Margaery receives similarly grim announcements in her N.E.W.T. classes and resolves to not let her schoolwork fall behind as it did in her sixth year ever again
  * At the end of her first day of classes, Sansa meets privately with Professor Mordane
  * “Are you sure you’re ready to cast threadwork charms, again?” Mordane eyes Sansa over her teacup. “I was there at the trial of your uncle, Sansa. I know what happened during the Third Task and it’s alright if you need more time.”
  * Sansa shakes her head. “I’ve had more than enough time playing with dead thread over the past two months. I _felt_ something strong when I fought my uncle and I think thread magic is something I’m meant to pursue—as if it was always waiting for me to find it. I don’t want to give it up, not after all my work this past year.”
  * “Very well then,” says Mordane. “But you’d best not let my tutoring interfere with your O.W.L. studies.”
  * “If anything, Professor Mordane, I think the extra tutoring will ensure my success on the exams.”
  * The first few nights back at Hogwarts without Lady are the hardest, but Sansa’s nightmares have lessened since the start of summer and what makes her tense at school are seemingly random things that remind her of Uncle Baelish, or to a lesser extent, Joffrey (like a vest pattern or a wizard’s hair color)
  * A couple of weeks later, Margaery and Sansa are back in their routine of studying at their usual table in the library when Loras finds them and throws up his hands in frustration
  * “Of course you two are in the bloody library like—and all no offense meant to Renly—a bunch of Ravenclaw bores.” (A girl wearing Ravenclaw robes shoots him a dirty look as she passes by)
  * “What’s got your knickers in a knot?” asks Margaery, setting her quill and parchment aside
  * “Look, I just finished Quidditch practice only to find out from Theon that our friend Brienne and Jaime bloody Lannister are hosting their first practical lessons tonight and here you are, looking utterly uninterested. Do you realize they sent one of the best Aurors in Wizarding Britain to give us extra practice?” He turns to Sansa and says, “This is your chance to remember and improve everything you learned last year in training, and you can learn it with friends. Isn’t that something you want?”
  * “I don’t know, Loras,” says Sansa, “I mean, I’m really worried about the O.W.L.s.”
  * Loras flaps his hand. “And I have to get at least five N.E.W.T.s at ‘Exceeds Expectations’ or above if I want to be an Auror. Look, I realize this year we have to study harder than ever before, but consider this extra practice for Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms or something. Please?”
  * Margaery looks at the stack of books she’s carefully stacked on the table and sighs, “Loras, if I humor you tonight and go to this ‘practical’ thing so you can fanboy over Jaime Lannister, you have to help me with Defense homework later.”
  * “Done!”
  * (Loras practically bounces from foot to foot as he waits for them to pack up their things)
  * “Where do they possibly have enough space for all the students who want to learn?” Sansa wonders aloud as they walk out of the library
  * Theon is waiting for them outside and answers her. “Oh, haven’t you heard? Headmaster Lannister gave them permission to use the Room of Requirement.”
  * “I thought the room was just a rumor,” says Sansa
  * “No, it’s quite real,” Theon insists. “I accidentally found it when I was a first year and got very lost on my way back from supper. I kept wandering around the halls and this door appeared and opened to an exact replica of my childhood bedroom and I slept there the entire night without anyone noticing.”
  * The Room of Requirement happens to be located on the Seventh Floor and Brienne Tarth waits just outside the door to let students in
  * “You four are here for the lessons, then?” She looks them over thoughtfully
  * Loras leads them over. “Yes, thanks, and it’s good to see you Brienne, and as a smart Auror, too!”
  * Brienne’s face reddens. “Well, technically an Auror-in-training for two more years. Lannister has already begun the class, so I’m going to step in after you and close the door, alright?”
  * The classroom within the Room of Requirement is spacious and filled with open floor space and little cushions everywhere for seating
  * Everyone in the room is clustered in a semicircle around Jaime Lannister, who is speaking at the center
  * As Sansa approaches the crowd of mostly older students, she picks out Bran and Arya, Bran’s yearmate Jojen, and Pod and Jeyne together, but all of them have their attention focused on Jaime as he speaks:
  * “—And you are all here to learn, practice, and practically apply your curricula in a safe setting. Because of the wide range of skill levels of the students here, we’re dividing into two groups tonight: I’ll work with fifth years on up and Brienne will take fourth years on down.”
  * Sansa sticks near her friends as they follow Jaime to the other side of the classroom and sees Arya reluctantly step away from Gendry and join Bran and Jojen
  * “Ah yes, upper years,” says Jaime. “I trust you all don’t need as much hand-holding as the other years, so we’ll start with more advanced defensive magic first. Do any of you know how to cast a Shield Charm?” The seventh years raise their hands and Jaime nods. “Alright, those of you who can confidently cast a shield charm: Pair up with someone who doesn’t and make some space for yourselves.”
  * Margaery, of course, picks Sansa and they watch the awkward “I need to find a practice partner” dance of the others
  * Sansa glances back at what Brienne is teaching Arya and Bran and, from the brightness on that side of the room, it appears they are working on casting light and spark charms
  * “Good,” Jaime says once they are all grouped in pairs. He holds up a netted bag of what looks to be multicolored rubber balls, pulls one from the bag, and throws it at Loras, who catches it easily, then continues tossing them from the bag until each pair has one. “Partners who know how to cast a shield charm: Teach the less experienced partner the proper incantation and wand movement, then have them practice blocking the ball with their shields. I’ll walk around and make sure you are practicing properly until I am satisfied with your competence.”
  * It’s fortunate for Sansa that Margaery is a patient teacher because while _Protego_ isn’t a difficult incantation, maintaining a shield is much harder than it looks, especially when objects are flying at her and Jaime has a tendency to sneak up to observe and then loudly snark anyone’s errors:
  * “You call that pathetic smoke a shield? What if I were a Dark Wizard and had aimed an Entrail-Expelling Curse right at your torso? Would that repel it? No? _Then focus!_ ”
  * “My dear, please work on your reflexes because I’m fairly sure my long-dead grannie could have cast a shield faster than you.”
  * “Wh—What exactly do you hope to accomplish by moving your wand like  _that? Waddiwasi?_ ”
  * Without warning at the end of the first hour, Jaime casts a spell that apparently imbues the rubber balls with a semi-sentient hunger to avenge the many years of schoolchildren throwing them against floors and walls or feeding them to the Giant Squid
  * Caught in a battle against an enemy filled with anger and kinetic energy, the students are forced to either dodge or cast shields and repel them back (often towards each other)
  * After a half-hour of this, Sansa begins to flag and Margaery can’t catch her breath and it is utter, utter chaos: Loras is laughing and throwing up shields as fast as he can, Gendry is putting up a good fight but getting hit as much as he blocks, a swarm of rubber balls is chasing Theon as he tries to simultaneously outrun them and cast _Protego_ over his shoulder, Jeyne has collapsed on the floor while Pod tries to shield her body, and the other upperclassmen aren’t faring much better
  * “ _Jaime Lannister!”_ yells Brienne
  * A ball bounces off of Sansa’s head as she turns and sees Brienne on the warpath, a scowl on her face as she marches directly towards Jaime who is the calm at the center of the rubberized chaos and who casually casts shields whenever anything flies too close to his face
  * “ _Jaime Lannister,_ ” Brienne snarls as she marches up to him, “What the bloody hell are you doing?”
  * “I’m teaching the children Shield Charms, witch. Is there a problem?”
  * Brienne stabs a finger towards his chest. “Yes, yes there is. It’s plainly obvious you’ve never been an Auror trainer in your life and even if you were, these aren’t Auror students. And my own students can’t even concentrate on a simple _Lumos_ because _this?_ This is madness.”
  * “I prefer to call this _accelerated learning_. And besides, we’re all having fun here, right?” Jaime neatly steps to the side as the swarm hunting Theon whizzes past
  * Honestly, if Sansa had been given a better idea of what she was walking into before she walked into it, she thinks she probably would have had more fun, but Margaery looks like she is definitely on Team Not Having Fun and one of her eyes is swelling shut thanks to an unfortunate hit
  * “ _Finite Incantatem!_ ” Brienne roars and everything bounces to a stop
  * (“Pod, I don’t think I can lift my arms,” Jeyne moans in the sudden silence. “I’m just a big mass of sore.”)
  * Sansa adopts Jeyne’s idea and sinks to the floor, followed by Margaery, who leans her head on her shoulder and gasps for air
  * Brienne takes another step towards Jaime, who is very blatantly smirking at her. “Jaime Lannister, we must share this room and in order to do that, we must ensure this is a proper learning environment for _all._ So kindly figure out a way that we can work together.”
  * Jaime crosses his arms. “Do I hear an _‘or else_ ’ in what you’re saying, witch?”
  * Brienne raises her chin. “Or else I will involve the Headmaster.”
  * Jaime chuckles and pulls out his pocket watch to check the time. “It took, let’s see, thirty minutes less than I predicted before you threatened me with my own father. Me, a grown wizard.”
  * “If you’re a grown wizard, then damn well act like it and drop the arrogant schoolboy attitude.”
  * “Only if you drop the tetchy schoolmarm attitude first.”
  * Sansa can’t see very well from her angle on the ground, but it looks like Brienne raises her eyes to the ceiling and mutters something under her breath, before saying to Jaime in a quieter voice, “I think it would be best if we discussed this further without an audience.”
  * Jaime glances over at Margaery and Sansa, then at Pod and Jeyne and he frowns. “Alright then. The lesson’s over, I guess. I can’t get much more out of this lot anyway.”
  * The students slowly exit the Room of Requirement, many of them limping with more of them bruised, and Arya, Bran, and Jojen help assist Sansa and Margaery on their way out
  * “You look like hell,” Arya says, matter-of-fact, and winces when she sees Gendry hobbling a few steps behind
  * Loras is bracing an older girl Sansa thinks might be one of the Mormont daughters against his shoulder but says cheerily, “Well, I personally thought it was brilliant.”
  * More weeks pass with Sansa and Margaery holed up in the library, buried under books and schoolwork except when Sansa attends threadwork tutoring with Professor Mordane or performs her Prefect duties or Margaery performs Head Girl duties
  * Loras and Theon finally extricate them via the Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch game and Sansa idly waves both Slytherin and Hufflepuff flags and watches Theon chase after the Quaffle while Loras searches for the Snitch and Margaery claps at the appropriate times for the both of them
  * Slytherin narrowly wins after Loras grabs the Snitch and Sansa wishes she could care more, but her thoughts are occupied with her Transfiguration homework
  * Loras brightens when he sees them, but he grimaces when he takes in their expressions. “You two obviously need more than a Quidditch game to take a break. Go with Theon and me to Jaime and Brienne’s lesson tonight. Please?”
  * Margaery is not having it. “Last time I went, your precious hero gave me a black eye!”
  * He sighs, “Yes, yes, that wasn’t supposed to happen. But look, they talked it out and it’s much better now, I promise. Brienne told me Jaime Lannister has agreed to, and I quote, ‘Dial back his inner hellion by several notches,’ end quote. And tonight they’re supposed to teach the Patronus Charm to everyone, regardless of their year.”
  * Sansa is sorely tempted: Patronus Charms are notoriously difficult to master, but they are enormously useful against Dark creatures like Dementors and Lethifolds and they can even carry messages
  * “Margaery,” she says, “If you go, I’ll go. But if you’d rather stay, I’ll stay.”
  * Margaery throws up her hands. “Alright, fine. But I’d better not get another black eye. And Loras, you owe me with Defense _for the next month_.”
  * The Room of Requirement appears to have altered itself to match Jaime and Brienne's truce: Padding like in a gymnasium lines the walls and floor, there are wooden practice mannequins and now there’s even a little table in the back filled with cups of water and bowls of fruit
  * Jaime and Brienne stand together at the front of the students before the lesson begins, but years of experience tell Margaery via their body language that they're strained, much in the same way as when her parents argue and are noticeably on the outs with each other but still believe in putting on a unified front for their children
  * "A Patronus Charm is very difficult to master," says Jaime, "As it requires maintaining a powerful happy memory while casting the charm, so we will be repeatedly practicing it for the rest of the year although the bulk of the practice will happen this evening. It is the only spell effective against Dementors or Lethifolds and we're here to prove that with enough time and training, anyone at any year level can master the Patronus. But never fear if you can't cast an animal with the charm after the first lesson; you can return for more practice. Brienne will demonstrate a proper Patronus for you."
  * Brienne swirls her wand in a loose spiral and shouts, " _Expecto Patronum!_ "
  * In a dazzling flare of silver light, a badger leaps from the end of her wand and runs around her before she dismisses it
  * Jaime watches the badger disappear without comment, then instructs the students to try the Patronus Charm themselves
  * Sansa tries, _really, really tries_ , but for the first hour of class, the most she can muster is something more akin to shapeless mist
  * She looks over at Margaery, who is easily casting blindingly bright silver light, though her Patronus has yet to appear
  * Meanwhile, Loras is showing off by making his eagle Patronus fly around the room
  * "Sansa?" Brienne's voice startles her out of her thoughts. "Sansa, your casting and incantation are good, but maybe try a happier memory than the one you're currently using and see if that helps."
  * Sansa's first happy memory for the Patronus Charm had been the day she received her Hogwarts letter on her eleventh birthday, but the thing is, many of her memories she would have once considered her happiest are hosts to the shadows of Joffrey or Uncle Baelish
  * Sansa settles on the day she and Margaery learned they were Prefect and Head Girl, channeling their fierce joy as they hugged and—“ _Expecto Patronum!_ ”
  * The misty light she casts now is easily tenfold stronger and brighter and Brienne positively beams
  * “Very good, Sansa! Now keep practicing it like that!”
  * By the end of the lesson, Sansa, Margaery, Arya, Gendry, Bran, and Jojen are able to cast incorporeal Patronuses at best, but Theon surprises himself and everyone else near the end when he casts the spell again and a Border Collie trots out as if it has been by his side all along
  * As they leave, Margaery says with a yawn, “You know, after all of that, I could do with some tea. The Kitchens, anyone?”
  * (A conversation later that evening in the Room of Requirement:  
  
“Brienne, I must say, while my original lesson plan was to call in a favor from Azkaban, I am rather impressed by how well the students responded to your teaching style.”  
  
“You mean, the positive reinforcement?”  
  
“You mean, there’s a term for that?”  
  
“Seven hells, Jaime. Wherever did you attend school? _Frostfang?_ ”)
  * Sansa and Margaery fall into a routine of studying, getting dragged by Loras and Theon to Quidditch matches, Sansa’s tutoring with Professor Mordane, sending ravens to their families (and in Sansa’s case, also Berena), Prefect and Head Girl Duties, becoming friendlier with Professor Ebrose as a matter of inevitability, getting dragged again by Loras and Theon to lessons with Jaime and Brienne, late-night tea in the Hogwarts Kitchens with Sansa’s siblings and their friends, and as autumn deepens, Sansa realizes she doesn’t mind being interrupted from her obsession with her O.W.L.s
  * A reality: Sometimes when Sansa thinks about the impending exams, a constricting feeling falls over her, as if she is still bound with ropes in her uncle’s childhood home or Joffrey’s friend is holding her arms back while Joffrey swings his fist
  * There’s a moment in mid-November when Jaime has them practice breaking free of simple jinxes and curses when Sansa freezes in panic and can’t remember what to do
  * In the next moment, the jinx is broken and Margaery is holding out her hand so Sansa can get back up
  * One day while they are walking back from the library, Sansa turns to Margaery and asks, “I never asked this, but now that you’re a seventh year, what are you hoping to do based on your N.E.W.T. grades?”
  * Margaery is quiet for a moment, then says, “Well at first, I’ll admit it was about outsmarting my brothers. Casual geniuses, the lot of them—they’re good at just about everything. But now…” She stops in the hallway and flashes a quick smile at Sansa. “The magical world is brimming with potential to explore new things, like with you and your threadwork magic, or to reform the old ways of thinking that lead to Howlers sent to my brother or awful people in positions of power because of nepotism.”
  * Sansa thinks of how all the times she’s met Robert Baratheon, he’s been horrendously drunk and surrounded by people like Uncle Baelish and Cersei Lannister, who seemed kind to her at first until they weren’t. She also thinks of how Joffrey didn’t face expulsion because of Headmaster Lannister’s meddling, and she nods
  * Margaery’s eyes are wide and cheery as she finishes with: “And I think perhaps we could learn what Muggles can teach the wizarding community instead of isolating ourselves so much. There’s a lot of work to be done if I hope to change things, so why not start after Hogwarts?”
  * With the Christmas holidays quickly approaching, Sansa’s Mum and Da inform her via letter that they are reinstating the annual Stark Christmas Party and Sansa is welcome to invite guests
  * “Well of course you’re invited, and so is Renly,” Sansa tells Margaery and Loras. “Last Christmas wouldn’t have been near as fun without you. And I can ask Mum and Da if you can visit longer.”
  * “I will be at your family’s party,” promises Loras, “But regretfully I must ask you to forgive me for personally declining a longer stay as I have a dearly neglected boyfriend who has waited more than three months to swoon over my new and improved musculature in the flesh. Sorry, not sorry.”
  * (Margaery almost believes him, but doesn’t miss the wink he gives her when Sansa isn’t looking)
  * After overthinking it far too much, Sansa also invites Professor Mordane and then Brienne and Jaime, who look surprised by her invitation but say they’ll think about it
  * Snow is falling outside the Hogwarts Express as they head home and when their crowded compartment temporarily falls quiet (never for long with Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors present) or when Sansa catches Margaery’s eyes in a moment of shared amusement, the jittery, fluttering feeling returns



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tired: Shield Charms taught in a traditional classroom setting  
> Wired: Wizarding Dodgeball


	10. Years 5 and 7: The Christmas Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why Scottish wizards don’t have a Veela figurine at the top of their Christmas tree: Because where. the. fuck. _would the tea bag go?!_

  * Home again, Sansa spends the few days leading up to the Christmas party by helping her family with the decorations and preparing food and pretending not to notice when Theon slips out to meet Gysella
  * Sansa also revels in the simple joy of being back with Lady with walks in the Scottish hinterland, brushing her fluffy winter fur, and having her sleep at the foot of the bed like a watchful guardian
  * Robb and Dany arrive together on Christmas Eve, bundled in layers of jumpers and cloaks as they adjust to Scotland after months of living in Spain
  * Jon and Ygritte arrive together, too: During Jon’s off-season, they have been exploring Wizarding Russia, hoping to discover something new to wizardkind, but nothing is half as interesting to the Starks as the discovery of the engagement ring on Ygritte’s hand
  * (Cat Stark had also invited Lysa and Robin stay, despite the events of the past year, but the only word Cat received from her sister is a curt refusal, which she supposes is an improvement over no response to her letters at all)
  * Christmas morning at Winterfell arrives bright with fallen snow as shiny as a freshly minted Sickle
  * After Christmas breakfast and unwrapping gifts, everyone, including the Stark parents, races outside to have a snowball fight and then return indoors for hot cocoa and to make final preparations for the party that night
  * Sansa’s Mum finds her in her room, pulling the dress robes from the Yule Ball out of the closet and presents her with a bundle of deeply blue fabric, like lapis lazuli, with tiny embroidered designs of stars and snowflakes in silver and navy blue and white lace darting through the sleeves
  * She says, “Your grandmother gave this dress to me shortly before I moved in with your father. I think you might be about the right age to wear it now.”
  * Sansa almost can’t bear to wear such a pretty heirloom for fear of ruining it but immediately changes her mind when she puts it on and, (with a few spellwork adjustments from her mother), it fits like a dream and more importantly, the length isn’t too short as she’s grown taller in the past year
  * Shortly before the party, Theon disappears for a little while and returns with a blonde girl with very luminous green eyes about his age, who he introduces as Gysella
  * At Sansa’s worried expression, he says, “I’ve been telling her about the wizarding world for over a month now and she hasn’t run away screaming yet and so Ned and Cat said it’d be alright.”
  * Gysella looks at Sansa and twists one of the many necklaces she’s wearing with a finger. “Theon has written so much about his foster siblings and it’s so lovely to meet at last. You’re a Pisces, aren’t you?”
  * “Yes?”
  * Gysella nods sagely, as if that explains everything
  * They have no time to talk further because Professor Mordane arrives
  * She introduces herself to the Starks as “Mahonia Mordane, Charms Professor”, and introduces the tall woman with her as, “Tansy Mordane, Herbology researcher and my wife.”
  * Gendry arrives alone and Arya almost immediately pulls him away to the room with a pillow fort she has set up with Rickon, Jojen, and Bran to be the children’s refuge from the “stuffy adults who just stand around and make small talk” (as she refers to everyone else)
  * The Reeds, Karstarks, and Mormonts arrive with their children soon after and the Stark family home becomes louder and more crowded
  * However, Sansa manages to find a seat near the door when Loras, Renly, and Margaery arrive, smart in green and gold brocade
  * Loras and Renly make their greetings and then, hoisting the bottles of wine in their arms, make a beeline for the kitchen, leaving Margaery to find Sansa
  * “Happy Christmas. Thank you again for inviting me,” Margaery says while she examines Sansa’s dress with an approving look
  * “You’re welcome.” Sansa adjusts her sleeve even though it doesn’t need adjusting, feeling fluttery again
  * They have barely a few minutes to catch up on how they've spent their winter holidays before there's another knock at the front door and standing outside:
  * Balon Greyjoy, gaunt, grey-haired, and grim-faced, stands on the doorstep, accompanied by Asha and Arianne
  * The solemnness in his expression is spoiled by his bright red Christmas jumper depicting Santa Claus and his arms full of brightly colored Christmas crackers
  * "Happy Christmas," he says to the shocked onlookers. "Thought I'd stop by and all. You wouldn't happen to know where my son is, would you?"
  * Theon stands, his face stricken, gripping Gysella's hand like a lifeline, and whispers, “Da.”
  * "I reckon I've made an arse and a fool of myself for long enough, acting like a petty child and driving my last son away from me instead of behaving like a father. So. I'm sorry." Balon sets the crackers down and holds out a hand. "I’d like to try again. If you’re willing.”
  * Theon says nothing, but takes several steps forward, ignores the offered handshake, and hugs his father tightly
  * Balon awkwardly pats him on the back, then clears his throat, stepping back and speaking low, but not so quietly that Sansa and Margaery can't overhear from where they sit:
  * "Thought to also mention your girl's father is a close friend of mine. See that you treat her right."
  * The party takes a while to rumble back into loud merriment after the Greyjoys' emotional display, but soon the children are opening Christmas crackers and racing around with small toys and paper crowns while Theon talks quietly to his father
  * Asha and Arianne greet Robb and Dany, grab punch, and then retreat to Sansa and Margaery's corner of the front room
  * "How was your summer of sailing?" Sansa asks politely. "Arya mentioned missing you on her team for scrimmages."
  * Asha grins at Arianne. "Lots of sun and lots and lots of my girlfriend. What's not to love?"
  * "The northern fjords were my favorite," Arianne confesses. "Very cold but so many fascinating merpeople, with different morphologies and cultures. You don’t see merpeople like that in Spain."
  * Asha assesses Sansa and Margaery over her glass with a peculiar expression on her face. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask—" But her question falters when Margaery shoots her a sharp glance and shakes her head a little
  * Sansa's wrinkles her forehead. "Ask what?"
  * "—ask you how my little brother is doing. I know he talks to you more than the others."
  * "To be honest, I can't tell if he loves the return of the Quidditch pitch or Gysella more. He writes to her all the time."
  * "Aye, she's a pretty one," Asha says with approval. "Though of course, my Arianne will always be my loveliest girl."
  * (Arianne rolls her eyes and gives Asha a playful shove and Margaery does her best to rein in a flash of envy)
  * Sansa hears part of a loud argument from outside the front door, loud enough to be heard above the party's hubbub:
  * "Take the long drive to the Starks, you said. It'll be scenic, you said!"
  * "Well, it would have been fine if you hadn't taken the wrong turn out of Glasgow!"
  * "If you want to criticize my driving so badly, then get yourself a bloody license first!"
  * Sansa opens the door to Jaime and Brienne, who are red-nosed and dusted with snow on their cloaks and hats and glaring at each other until they notice her standing in front of them
  * Jaime is carrying a slightly deformed Yule Log cake while Brienne carries a plate filled with iced Christmas biscuits, and they present both to Sansa at the same time
  * “Happy Christmas, Sansa,” says Brienne. “Sorry for being late.”
  * “Again: not my fault,” mutters Jaime under his breath
  * Sansa waves them in and offloads one of the desserts to Margaery and when they go to deposit them at the dessert table, they find both Loras and Renly still in the kitchen and quite happily preoccupied so Sansa suggests they take a breather from the Christmas drama in her room
  * The sound of the party is muted when Sansa closes the door behind them and she sighs in relief, joining Margaery where she is sitting on the edge of her bed
  * “This is a perfect idea,” says Margaery, “because I actually wanted to give you your gift in person.”
  * Margaery takes a rose in full bloom from her handbag, petals golden at the bottom but flushed a reddish pink at their edges, and places it in Sansa’s hands
  * “I know what you’re thinking: Why a Tyrell rose? Well, I charmed it to never wilt so you can see a bit of my home whenever you like. It’s beautiful and magical, just like you.”
  * Sansa twirls the rose between her fingers, sensing its enchantments keeping it alive like a tiny heartbeat. “I love it, Margaery, and it’s very thoughtful of you. And the truth is—” Sansa rummages through one of the pockets of the dress, “—I wanted to give you my gift in person, too.”
  * She places a small, heart-shaped locket in Margaery’s hand, engraved with the initials _M._ _T._
  * “It’s empty, but I thought you might want a traditional wizarding keepsake for whatever you like and wherever you go after Hogwarts.”
  * Margaery touches the engravings gently, then stares directly at Sansa, her eyes bright, hazel, and summer-warm, and her face is close enough that Sansa’s pulse races and feels more jittery than ever before
  * “Sansa, I—"
  * —and Sansa leans in and kisses her
  * She momentarily registers how soft Margaery’s lips are before she pulls away like she’s had an electric shock
  * “Oh Seven, I just ruined everything. I’m sorry,” Sansa babbles, bunching up her dress in her hands and trying to decide if she should make a run for the door or just spontaneously disappear into the carpet
  * A slow, wondering smile spreads over Margaery’s face as she touches a hand to her mouth and she quietly giggles, a rosy blush staining her cheeks
  * “Ruin? No, no, absolutely not,” says Margaery, threading her fingers through one of Sansa’s hands. “In fact, before you interrupted me, I was about to say that I think I like you more than as a friend, Sansa Stark.”
  * “Sorry for interrupt—” Sansa starts before her automatic response stutters to a halt. “Wait, you _like_ me?”
  * “Going on almost two years now, actually.”
  * “ _What._ ”
  * (Sansa’s mind whirls through a very abbreviated replay of the past two years but it’s as if Margaery just told her the sky is green)
  * Margaery laughs and links the locket around her neck. “I was starting to worry I’d graduate before you knew. Loras threatened to lock me in a closet with you until I confessed.”
  * “Oh. Well. I’m fairly sure I like you as more than a friend, too,” says Sansa
  * “I’d have never guessed,” Margaery says, squeezing her hand. “Though as a general rule, you should probably ask someone first before kissing them.”
  * Sansa takes a steadying breath before turning to Margaery (who is watching her intently) and asks, “Margaery, would you like me to kiss you again?”
  * Margaery lightly places a hand on the back of Sansa’s neck and says, “I’d like that very much, darling,” and leans in
  * (They don’t return to the party after all)
  * (Here’s what they miss:  
  
\- Loras and Renly slow dancing in the kitchen to a jazz tune playing from Cat Stark’s radio  
  
\- Arya turning the fort room into an impromptu pillow fight and cackling with laughter as her brothers and friends attack her and the feathers fly  
  
\- Balon returning Theon’s hug before he returns home that night and Gysella sleepily leaning her head on Theon’s shoulder as they watch guests leave  
  
\- Ned Stark ducking down to sneakily kiss his wife on the cheek as she discusses wedding plans with Ygritte and Daenerys  
  
\- Mahonia and Tansy Mordane Apparating home, hand in hand  
  
\- Asha sloppily kissing Arianne before they hop on a motorbike together and speed off into the wintry sky  
  
\- And: Brienne and Jaime discovering a bottle of peppermint schnapps and getting thoroughly plastered on a basement sofa while swapping stories from school and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which eventually turns into rambling interspersed with helpless giggles)
  * (“Yunno, Brienne, it’s a shame I’m so bitter and grizzled and a stubborn arse ‘cause I really do think you’re a, you’re a damn fine witch, a’right?”  
  
“Aw, shuddup Jaime. You’re not all old and bitter yet. ‘Sides, I like you just fine as is, inner hellion and all.”  
  
“Truly?”  
  
“Truly, truly.”)
  * The next morning, Sansa wakes up in bed, still wearing the blue dress and, fearing that she’s damaged it, she shifts to get up and change into something more appropriate and rolls right into Margaery, who cracks an eye open
  * “Good morning,” says Sansa, heart stuttering
  * “A _very_ good morning,” murmurs Margaery, lifting a warm hand to touch Sansa’s cheek
  * “So, um, what happens now?” Sansa is blushing and uncertainty flutters in her stomach
  * “Well, I suppose we’ll have get dressed like casual witches and go to breakfast.” Both of Margaery’s eyes fly open and shifts to prop herself up on an elbow. “Oh. You mean like with us.”
  * “Well,” Sansa starts, “It’s just um. I was only ever with Joffrey before and uh—oh dear Mother Above, how do I phrase this—I’ve never kissed a witch before. I don’t know how this works.”
  * Margaery idly traces a pattern on the comforter with a finger. “Well, Sansa Stark, I’ve only ever kissed one other witch before you and so if you’re looking for a suave ‘witches who like witches’ expert, well, I’m afraid you’ve kissed the wrong witch.” She meets Sansa’s eyes, smiling softly. “If we trust each other, I’m sure we can figure this out together. Because I do want us to be together.”
  * “And so do I,” says Sansa, and she marvels at what a Christmas gift it is, the sudden intimacy of this intensely familiar and yet also unfamiliar side of Margaery
  * (Has the pattern of moles dancing across Margaery’s skin always looked so kissable? Has she ever noticed before how alluring Margaery’s curls look, sprawled dark and messy over a pillow? And how has she ever failed to notice the way Margaery’s eyes soften when she looks at her, as if she’d be content to wake up to Sansa’s face again and again and again?)
  * A call from downstairs startles them. “Sansa! Margaery! Breakfast is ready!”
  * “I’ll delay them for you if you want to use my closet for a change of clothes,” says Sansa reluctantly pulling away from Margaery and out of bed and she grabs a bundle of casual clothing to change into in the loo as she’s not sure if “figuring this out together” means sharing a changing space yet (but perhaps she’s overthinking things again)
  * (Somewhere on a basement sofa:  
  
“Ow. My bloody head. I am never drinking peppermint schnapps ever again.”  
  
“Agreed.”  
  
“It’s officially added to the list: Right next to Niffler’s Fancy Amontillado and Basilisk Bile Brandy.”  
  
“You have fascinatingly peculiar tastes.”  
  
“Well, I’d hardly be here with you if I didn’t.”  
  
“Hmph. You know, seeing you from this angle, I think you put far too much effort into making your hair look perfect. It looks far better mussed.”  
  
“Does it now?”  
  
“Truly, truly. And I judging by the sounds overhead, I think it might be best to Apparate to the car before our students see their very hungover defense tutors.”  
  
“Urgh. Agreed.”)
  * The rest of the Christmas holidays pass in a relaxing and rather an uneventful manner for just about everyone except Sansa and Margaery, who have discovered the perks of having a reputation for studying together in private means being able to like each other as more than a friend in private (and without Sansa’s siblings as onlookers)
  * By which this means a lot more kissing, and a lot of firsts: first hand kisses, first time braiding each other’s hair, first in-depth conversations about growing up in the shadows of one’s older brothers, and so on
  * Loras temporarily returns to Winterfell after Christmas with Margaery’s trunk and more spare clothing and mouths, “ _I told you so,_ ” at his sister before winking cheekily and Apparating away
  * What’s between them now is a sort of hunger, a craving that only settles when they are together, and it’s growing like vines entwining them
  * As the days count down to the start of classes, they might pretend all days can be like Christmas, filled with languid, exploratory kisses in Sansa’s bedroom, but they know the reality: Sansa and Margaery will not be traveling to Hogwarts together on September 1st




	11. Years 5 and 7: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives.

  * January lessons begin with dire warnings from Sansa’s professors, stressing the seriousness of O.W.L.s for a student’s future, but Sansa’s thoughts of the exams are distracted by thoughts of Margaery (and vice versa)
  * They resume their studies in the library and while they aren’t so distracted that they fall behind in their classes, they aren’t exactly getting ahead, either, especially with the occasional Head Girl and Prefect duties interrupting them
  * (A small heart-shaped locket glints at Margaery’s neck and in the Slytherin Girls’ Dormitory, a rose appears in a vase and never wilts)
  * (It’s quite one thing to be incredibly close friends and quite another thing to be incredibly new girlfriends and even with Margaery’s approaching graduation, there’s an unspoken agreement between them to take it slow)
  * (In fact, being with Margaery is nothing like being with Joffrey: With Joffrey, kissing was a passive action, letting him do whatever he wanted and letting him direct the relationship to avoid making him upset. With Margaery, she can lead her to an empty classroom, the furthest corner of the library from prying eyes, a copse near the Great Lake, or wherever else they might find a bit of privacy and Margaery is always eager to kiss and be kissed)
  * Sansa also starts working on nonverbal threadwork magic with Professor Mordane as she struggles with that more than wandless thread magic, which she remembers being so eager to answer her call with one word when it mattered the most in terms of her life
  * Defense lessons with Brienne and Jaime continue to be mostly cohesive in the new year and they start off the year practicing basic jinxes and hexes
  * Margaery has never been the sort to celebrate Valentine’s Day, even when she was going out with Asha in her fourth year, but when an upcoming Hogsmeade trip coincides with February 14th and Sansa asks (with irresistible pleading blue eyes) if they might visit Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, well, how can she refuse?
  * Madam Puddifoot has apparently taken the small business maxim of “decorate for the major holidays to lure in customers” strongly to heart, that is, if her heart was the size of a giant’s: Every possible surface is covered in pink gauze and hearts and white doilies and several cherubs with golden wings fly overhead
  * “Um, wow,” says Sansa, unsure if she should look for a slightly less gauzy-and-doilied table or wait to be seated. “I suppose it’s sort of cute?”
  * “It’s certainly very… thematic,” Margaery murmurs, though she supposes they should have felt warned by the bright pink paint of the shopfront
  * A short, middle-aged woman with her hair bound back a shiny black pun and a carnation pink dress fluffed up with petticoats introduces herself as Madam Puddifoot and leads them to a table that is in fact very gauzy, with small tea light candles in ceramic heart holders and Sansa, with a faint feeling of panic, thinks she actually hears slow violin music playing
  * “I didn’t expect the tea shop to be quite so. Well. This,” she whispers to Margaery
  * Margaery mouth turns up in amusement and she sighs. “I can’t say I didn’t want an interesting tea.”
  * Madam Puddifoot darts around to each of the tables with her tea kettle and a plate of biscuits and Margaery and Sansa order floral brews and accept a biscuit apiece
  * Sansa worries her lip and thinking about how the tea shop is not quite so subtle of a Valentine’s date location as she’d like when Margaery nudges her leg with her foot
  * “Hey, Sansa? It’s alright,” Margaery says, the same amused smile on her face
  * (A giggling cherub swoops overhead and throws confetti over them, which gets stuck in their hair and falls in their tea)
  * “Well, maybe it’s a bit much,” Margaery amends, “But you couldn’t have known.”
  * While they don’t end up finishing their tea before Sansa cuts their visit short and sorts out the bill, the biscuits aren’t half-bad so the tea shop excursion isn’t considered a complete disaster by either of them
  * Margaery interlaces their fingers on the way back and says, “I really liked today, tea shop and all.”
  * “Why’s that?”
  * “Because I got to spend time with you, without books or lessons getting in the way. It’s nice.”
  * Near the end of February, Jaime and Brienne host another practice session for those wishing to brush up on the Patronus Charm so of course Sansa returns (accompanied by Margaery)
  * Loras technically doesn’t need to practice it again and is noticeably missing, as is Theon, but Sansa supposes they must be taking advantage of the extra time to practice Quidditch or study for N.E.W.T.s
  * Arya, Bran, and their friends are there, at least, so Sansa takes a moment to chat with them about classes and professors and especially make sure Bran is doing alright in Ravenclaw
  * (“Did you know Ravenclaw has its own library, Sansa? A library! And Professor Brynden says I’m a fair enough flyer that I can try out for Ravenclaw next year!”)
  * This time Jaime demonstrates the Patronus Charm for the students and casts a silvery, smallish wildcat with strange tufted ears and a ruff that curls up next to his legs before disappearing
  * “A lynx,” he answers before they can ask. “Tonight, those of you who can only produce incorporeal Patronuses might try to see if you can cast a true Patronus by the end.”
  * For the first part of the lesson, no one can produce a true Patronus and the room is filled with clouds of silver light, but then Margaery pauses for a moment to glance at Sansa, nods to herself and—“ _Expecto Patronum!_ ”
  * A six-foot-long boa appears in a dazzle of light and climbs up Margaery to wrap itself around her wand arm
  * “Well I suppose—” Jaime starts to say before Brienne raises her eyebrows at him and he says, “Right. Good. That was indeed a true Patronus, Miss Tyrell. With a little more practice, you’ll be able to train it to speak messages.”
  * Sansa is itching to ask Margaery what memory she had in mind when she cast the spell, but then Sansa remembers Christmas day and how instead of ruining everything by kissing Margaery, Margaery had smiled and said, “ _I’d like that very much,_ ” and the memory leaves her feeling as warm and giddy as a Cheering Charm:
  * _“Expecto Patronum!_ ”
  * Sansa almost drops her wand when she sees a silver adder appear and slither away from her but then Margaery is there and spinning her in a circle and saying, “You did it! I knew you could do it, Sansa!”
  * Brienne congratulates them both, a fierce, proud, grin on her face and even Jaime looks pleased about another student mastering the spell
  * Sansa decides to stay and help Arya and Bran and is pleased to see their incorporeal Patronuses grow stronger before Brienne calls an end to the lessons and they take tea in the Kitchens as usual
  * (The raven sent to Berena that week is a very happy one indeed)
  * Even in the library, the domain of the extremely unfanciful and unromantic Professor Ebrose, Sansa finds herself distracted by the way Margaery’s eyes catch the golden light of the lanterns or the way her chin tilts as she mutters to herself over her notes, but with the O.W.L.s only three months away, she sighs and starts another scroll for yet another essay
  * Sansa’s sixteenth birthday is smaller and quieter without the Triwizard Tournament and Robb and Jon, but her Mum and Da send her birthday wishes
  * Jaime and Brienne host another lesson to review jinxes that same evening, so afterward everyone troops off to the Kitchens for a smaller and quieter birthday party with lemon cakes
  * Later, in the common room, Margaery sets a sleepy Midnight on Sansa’s lap and rushes to her dormitory room before returning with a bundle wrapped in brown paper
  * “I noticed you write in one of these rather a lot and I thought you might like to have another one in case you might need to write more in the, ah, future,” Margaery says, handing the bundle to Sansa
  * She unwraps a cloth-bound notebook, a shade darker than the blue of her Christmas dress, the pages blank but with the potential to fill with many days of Sansa’s words, but for a small inscription in Margaery’s handwriting inside the cover:
  * _“To my Champion, my friend, and my darling: For your thoughts, fears, and secrets whenever I can’t be with you.”_
  * Sansa doesn’t say anything, but tangles her hands in Margaery’s curls, and, at her slight nod, kisses her deeply and slowly, wishing she had a Time-Turner so that she could replay such a lovely day over and over again
  * In April, Jaime announces a change to their several weeks of jinxes, hexes, and charms practice (and honestly, the mannequins in the Room of Requirement have seen better days at this point):
  * “Tonight, we have a lesson unique that is usually only taught during Auror training, and because of that, we will only let fifth years on up participate in the lesson, although fourth years and younger are welcome to watch and learn. Due to its nature, we have obtained permission from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to teach the lesson exactly once, and only to the older students who consent to participate.
  * “Tonight, we will offer to teach you how to resist the Imperius Curse.”
  * The students, of course, immediately start talking and whispering to one another until Margaery raises her hand and asks, “Isn’t the Imperius an Unforgivable Curse?”
  * “Legally speaking, yes, Miss Tyrell,” says Brienne, grimacing. “Although the Ministry is not against making exceptions for the sake of instruction if the proper paperwork is filled out, which is why I have consent forms and will be in charge of making sure Jaime doesn’t go out of bounds, as he is the most skilled at casting it safely.”
  * Jaime holds up his hands. “I solemnly swear I will not make anyone who participates do anything that will make Brienne accuse me of reckless educational methods.”
  * Some of the younger students decide to leave at that point but more of them stay, as it is a rare opportunity to witness one of the greatest wizarding taboos in action
  * After they leave, Jaime adds, “Brienne and I have already been trained to resist the curse so we’d like a volunteer, if possible, to demonstrate how the Imperius works on someone who is completely unfamiliar with how it affects them.”
  * Loras, unsurprisingly, bounces up from where he is seated and signs a consent form with a flourish, looking practically like a dog wagging his tail as he waits for Jaime to Imperius him
  * “So eager to have an Unforgivable cast on you, Mister Tyrell?” Jaime says wryly. “Well then. _Imperio!_ ”
  * Loras’s face relaxes into steady calm as he stares at Jaime as if waiting for orders, and Jaime makes him dance a little jig, which he performs as if he has been dancing jigs his entire life
  * Jaime lifts the Curse and Loras shakes his head a little before returning to sit near Margaery. “That was incredibly peculiar.”
  * “Jigs are usually not thought of as harmful, but I hope you might see how easy it was to be controlled by the Curse and its sinister implications when used by servants of the Dark Arts,” Jaime tells them
  * Sansa remembers the dark look in Uncle Baelish’s eyes as he spoke the Killing Curse and shudders (Margaery notices and puts an arm around her)
  * Brienne says, “To resist an Imperius Curse, you must have strong willpower to fight it and it’s best to keep a clear mind, as free as possible of thoughts and feelings that make it easier for the caster to control you. We’d like all of you to practice keeping a clear mind, even if you don’t wish to have the spell performed on you, as it’s not only one of the best ways to defend against Dark magic, but also other spells that seek to invade and alter the mind. To show how a properly resisted Imperius looks, I’m allowing Jaime to demonstrate on me.”
  * When Brienne is Imperiused, she doesn’t react as Loras did; she is completely expressionless, her hands loose at her sides
  * “Brienne, do a cartwheel,” Jaime tells her
  * “Why would I want to do that?” she asks, her voice flat
  * “Because I want you to. I think it would be rather amusing.”
  * “No, Jaime, I don’t want to do that,” Brienne says in the same flat tone and in one swift movement, she disarms Jaime and holds a wand to his neck before lowering her arm and turning to the class. “That’s how you break an Imperius and more importantly, how you can make sure they can’t cast it again.”
  * They have the students practice clearing their minds, which feels a lot like one of Berena’s exercises, but when Sansa stops and thinks about the events of the past two years, she wonders how many people in the wizarding community hide their darkness, like Uncle Baelish and Joffrey Baratheon, and how many would look at a witch like her or Margaery or Arya and try to have them at their total mercy
  * Loras asks to be put under the Imperius again and this time, when Jaime makes him dance a jig, he actually stumbles a bit before complying and when Jaime lifts the curse yet again, he rubs his forehead and says, “I almost had it! I think.”
  * Pod tries next and while he doesn’t manage to break the curse, he does have a lovely singing voice
  * Theon also tries and ends up performing a handstand
  * Then Sansa stands and, ignoring the whispers behind her back, signs her name on the consent form and turns to Jaime, who casts the Imperius Curse on her:
  * _It’s a lovely feeling, really, warm and relaxing, the sense of nothing to worry about except feeling vaguely happy and ready to obey whatever he will command of her:_
  * “Sansa, spin three times in a circle.”
  * _Sansa has another vague, tugging sensation, as if there is something about the happy feeling she should remember, but she can’t remember, and oh, alright, why not spin in a circle? She would do anything he asked…_
  * The curse is lifted and by Margaery’s frown, Sansa knows she didn’t resist it, so she takes a seat, trying not to let her skin crawl from the memory of being Imperiused
  * More students try their hand after that, sometimes more than once, with hardly any being more successful at resisting it than Loras, and even Margaery tries at least once and seems to hold off Jaime for several moments, visibly straining, before he makes her skip a few steps
  * From the other side of Gendry, Sansa notices Arya watching the older students and Jaime with a ferocious, determined expression on her face and knows Arya would have marched up and demanded a try if it hadn’t been for their parents’ many lectures on the seriousness of Unforgivables
  * Sansa stands up again and Margaery, eyes full of worry, tugs her sleeve and whispers to her, “You really don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
  * “But this is something I do want to do,” Sansa says, and walks to Jaime again, who says nothing but quirks a brow and curses her once more:
  * _She feels so relaxed and warm and happy again and she would do anything to keep this feeling forever, but no… That’s not right. Happy obedience isn’t right._
  * “Sansa, hop twice on one leg.”
  * _Right now, no feelings at all are right. And why should she hop on one leg?_
  * “Sansa, do what I’m telling you.”
  * _But why? It is isn’t what she wants to do. She doesn’t want it any more than she wanted Uncle Baelish to murder her with her own wand. She wants a clear mind, clear as a winter melt stream, and focused as can be. No, she doesn’t want to hop twice on one leg and he can’t make her—_
  * Sansa whirls and yells, “ _Expelliarmus!_ ”
  * Jaime’s wand flies out of his hands and clatters on the floor
  * Jaime looks at his wand, then at Sansa, and says, “And that’s why Brienne and I believe in the power of very determined practice.”
  * Margaery is still wide-eyed when they leave the Room of Requirement later and as soon as she and Sansa are alone, she says, “Seven hells, Sansa, you can be simultaneously so beautiful and so, so terrifying when you want to be.”
  * “What do you mean?”
  * “I thought I couldn’t stand to sit there and watch you at the mercy of yet another wizard and then you fought back! Against Jaime Lannister of all Aurors!”
  * Sansa shrugs and leans her head on Margaery’s shoulder. “All I did was think a bit like I did last summer—when I had to save my own life.”
  * Margaery kisses her fingers and sighs, “Well, I certainly seem to have a thing for intimidating witches.”
  * (The Room of Requirement, that same night:  
  
“You know, for a moment there, I thought you were going to hex me.”  
  
“Tempting, but I have to be a good role model for the students.”  
  
“Ah, so the old ‘Good Auror, Bad Auror’ routine?”  
  
“I don’t know, Jaime. Would you consider yourself a Bad Auror?”  
  
“Would wanting to kiss a fellow Auror count as bad, oh righteous one?”  
  
“Well, I’d say that’s highly context-dependent, don’t you think?”)
  * Between lessons, tutoring, stealing time to be with Margaery, exam preparations, and sleep, April fades rapidly into May and then Margaery and Loras’s birthday arrives
  * Sansa makes a trip to the Ravenry that day (almost running into Theon on his way back from sending yet another letter to Gysella) and suggests they take advantage of the Hogsmeade trip to go to the Three Broomsticks again
  * This time, Renly is waiting for them at a table, still dressed for the Ministry, with dark circles under his eyes, but he perks up when he sees them and chuckles when he notices Sansa holding Margaery’s hand
  * “Well, it’s about damn time, you two. Butterbeers are on me; cheers to absolutely no one at this table being heterosexual.”
  * Over their meal and another round of Butterbeers, Sansa watches how Loras and Renly talk and nonverbally respond to each other with the easy, synced smoothness that only comes with years of familiarity and really knowing someone, something she recognizes her Mum and Da having, too
  * “Renly,” she says cautiously, “When you graduated, how did you and Loras manage to be together in a relationship and yet apart at the same time?”
  * (She feels Margaery grab her hand)
  * Loras and Renly exchange a glance and they seem to have a quick, nonverbal conversation before Renly answers her:
  * “Well, I won’t say it was easy, but we talked and spent time together whenever we could and knew that while the separation stung, it was only a temporary hurt. But mostly we talked about anything and everything, by any means possible, so neither of us felt lost from the other.” Renly tucks one of Loras’s curls behind his ears. “And in a month, we’ll be together for good.”
  * “I’ll be the Ace Auror to your administrative nerd,” says Loras, throwing his arm around Renly’s shoulders
  * “Can’t be an Auror without being a N.E.W.T. nerd first,” Renly points out
  * Loras stays behind to say goodbye to Renly and on the way back to Hogwarts, Margaery stops Sansa and says, “You know you can write to me whenever you want next year, right?”
  * Sansa feels a lump in her throat. “But it’s not quite the same as having you here, is it? I’m going to miss you very much and I don’t know how the next two years will be and I’m probably overthinking things again, aren’t I?”
  * Margaery wraps her in a tight embrace and says, “I promised we’d figure it out together, alright?”
  * They stand there like that for a moment before Sansa remembers her gift in her book bag, and she hands Margaery a thick stack of letters bound together with a ribbon
  * “It probably seems like I’m making my worries about us all about me being stuck at school studying for my N.E.W.T.s for the next two years,” Sansa tells her, “but I am worried about how you’ll be as well. So I pre-wrote some letters to you that you can open without waiting for me to send them first. Ones for when you’re feeling sad, or worried, or when you’re simply missing me, or whenever.”
  * Margaery grips the letters tightly. “You may be an intimidating witch, but never let anyone say you’re not utterly adorable.”
  * Sansa has barely been paying attention to any Quidditch games since the Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff match, but one day Arya runs up to her at breakfast and exclaims, “The match for the Quidditch Cup is Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Say you’ll be there to see me, won’t you?”
  * She promises, even though O.W.L.s are mere weeks away and she’s successfully managed to pretend Joffrey doesn’t exist for the most part, but another part of her idly wants to see how Loras and Arya compete against each other for once, with Arya vying to prove herself and Loras vying to take the Quidditch Cup once more before he leaves Hogwarts
  * She and Margaery sit in the Slytherin stands with dual-house flags again and shortly before the match starts, Theon, Gendry, Bran and Jojen join them as well
  * The match begins and Arya and Loras immediately take to the sky to spot the Snitch
  * Sansa couldn’t care less about the Quaffle part of the game today (and she resists saying so out loud so as to not offend the Quidditch fans within hearing), so she takes a small pair of binoculars and concentrates on watching the Seekers watch for the Snitch
  * It’s really not that exciting after the first forty-five minutes of the Seekers doing exactly nothing, but Bran tells her Slytherin is in the lead
  * Then, like green and red birds, Loras and Arya swoop down at the same time for something Sansa can’t see at all, even with the binoculars, and a roar goes up from the crowd and the announcer:
  * “ _GRYFFINDOR WINS!_ ”
  * Sansa and the others aren’t quite sure if they should applaud Arya or not while surrounded by Slytherin fans, so instead they whoop and cheer quietly and scurry out of the stands to find Loras and Arya
  * “Did you see? Did you see me catch it? From right under his nose?!” Arya crows when they see her and she drops her broom to give Gendry a hug made somewhat awkward by their height difference and then she also hugs Sansa and Bran, careful to avoid knocking the latter’s cane
  * “Congratulations, Arya,” Sansa says. She spots Loras walking over and calls to him, “Sorry you didn’t win the Quidditch Cup.”
  * Loras’s grin is rueful. “Well, I suppose I’ll do some manly weeping in the shower later, but your sister dived like a hawk for that win. It’s well-deserved.”
  * Sansa and Margaery spend the last two weeks before their exams studying for hours upon hours in the Hogwarts Library until Professor Ebrose shoos them out like clockwork every night
  * With the Quidditch Season over, Loras and Theon join them in their studying marathons, which (funnily enough) helps them focus more since there’s less temptation to make eyes at each other with an audience present
  * The first week of exams, Margaery, Loras, and Theon have to leave for their first N.E.W.T. early after breakfast and Sansa spends the next hour quietly fighting down panic before she heads to her first O.W.L., Charms, which should be a breeze thanks to extra lessons over the past two years but she doesn’t feel calm until she sees the first question and picks up her quill
  * After the Charms practical, she meets up with Margaery and Loras for a quick supper and then they collapse on one of the sofas in the Slytherin common room
  * “Well that was a brutal day,” murmurs Margaery in Sansa’s ear
  * “I can’t believe there are two weeks of this,” says Sansa. “What Dark wizard devised such a ghastly process to assess learning?”
  * Loras’s eyes are closed, but he announces, “I think I’ll turn in for the night right here, so don’t let me miss the Potions N.E.W.T. or else Nain will never let me hear the end of it.”
  * The rest of the week flies by in a blur of breakfast-exams-mealtime-sleep-repeat and Sansa and Margaery barely have any time to even kiss for good luck before the cycle starts again
  * Sansa wakes up at a criminally early hour both days of the weekend to reserve their table in the library and crams as much studying as she can into two days, with Margaery and the rest blearily joining her with intermittent visits to grab food and tea from the Kitchens
  * The second week of O.W.L.s feels somewhat easier to Sansa, but perhaps that’s only because her worrisome Transfiguration O.W.L. occurred in the first week and the worst of the second week are the long hours after the written Astronomy O.W.L., waiting for night to fall so she and the other fifth years can take the practical
  * After her History of Magic O.W.L. on Thursday, Sansa walks back to the Slytherin Girls’ Dormitories in a daze and promptly falls asleep until Margaery wakes her up before the End-of-Term Feast begins on Friday evening
  * Gryffindor apparently wins the House Cup, too, thanks to the additional points from the Quidditch Cup, but Sansa isn’t really paying attention because she’s trying not to collapse face-first into her pudding
  * All too soon, her trunks are packed and she, Margaery, Loras, and Theon are heading to King’s Cross on the Hogwarts Express (Bran and Arya and their friends stop in to say hello but dash off to their own compartment this time around)
  * They chat about the highlights of the year and complain about hard exam questions and make plans to meet over the summer but outside of London, Loras turns to Margaery and Sansa and says, “Almost forgot—I have a gift for you both.”
  * He pulls down his trunk and delicately removes from within a set of rectangular mirrors and gives one to each of them
  * As Sansa holds up the mirror, she doesn’t see her reflection, but Margaery’s surprised face staring back at her
  * “Two-way mirrors,” Loras explains. “Renly and I used them to talk to each other after he graduated. I asked him to send me his before the end of term so you two could use them. We don’t need them anymore. Think of them as early Christmas presents, I suppose.”
  * As the train pulls up to King’s Cross, Sansa says to Margaery, “Well, I think my parents might like to know we’re girlfriends.”
  * Margaery’s eyes crinkle as she laughs. “Well, darling, I think mine would, too.”
  * Grabbing their trunks, they interlace the fingers of their free hands and walk onto Platform 9 ¾ together.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end! Just the epilogue left.


	12. Epilogue: The Next Fifteen Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She took her in her arms and kissed her under the sunlit sky, and she cared not that they stood high upon the walls in the sight of many.

_Dear Margaery,_

_I marked this as one of the letters for you to open when you miss me, so you must be missing me now, and in my heartest of hearts, I wish I could be there with you as you work to change the world, but alas, I’m probably brewing Essence of Dittany in my Potions class or something._

_Know that I am missing you as much as you miss me, especially the way the left side of your mouth turns up when you’re thinking about something you like, and I’ll be with you the first minute I can. Until then—_

_Love,  
Sansa_

***

 _Interdepartmental Memo_  
**From:** Brienne Tarth, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Div. Auror Office  
**To:** Jaime Lannister, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Div. Auror Office

Loras Tyrell begins Auror training today and he thinks you’re a great hero or role model or something (though that remains to be seen).

Be nice.

P.S. The Leaky Cauldron, 18:00?

***

_(SOAP Note from the office files of Healer Berena Hornwood)_

**Subjective:** Sansa Stark, an 18-year-old witch, presented today for a follow-up appointment to assess her symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Dx age: 15) and her therapeutic progress. At the start of therapy, the patient reported re-experiencing her traumatic events, including recurrent and intrusive thoughts, physical responses to reminders, and feeling as though the events were happening again. She also avoided anything associated with the traumatic event, reported feeling anxious and worried, and had frequently disrupted sleep. Initial treatment goals were to reduce these symptoms and improve daily functioning. After three years of talk and writing therapy with intermittent escalated interventions, the patient reports sleeping well and overall diminished re-experiencing and avoidance symptoms, as well as improved daily functioning. She stated, “I would like to reduce the frequency of sessions to an as-needed basis if my Healer agrees with my perceived progress.”  
Social Hx: recent Hogwarts graduate, lives with parents and younger siblings, has a long-term partner, (-) alcohol or illicit drugs or potions, (+) balanced diet

 **Objective:** Mental Status Survey: good health; patient appears to be well-rested, calm, and relaxed.

 **Assessment:** Initial treatment goals have been met per subjective and objective assessment of symptoms. Patient’s diagnosis of PTSD will be considered historical and not current.

 **Plan:** Verbally review writing therapy and self-care strategies and schedule the next appointment a year from the current visitation date, unless otherwise requested by patient.

***

 _(Witch Weekly Magazine_ , snippet of an interview)

 **WW:** Today marks the debut of former Triwizard Champion, reknowned Stitch Witch and up-and-coming fashion designer Sansa Stark's clothing line, Rapturous Raiment on the London Wizarding Runway. What an exciting accomplishment for a witch of twenty-four years!

 **Stark:** Thank you.

 **WW:** Previously you worked with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to design robes that defend their wearer and co-authored _Threadwork Charms: A Practical Guide_ with your former Charms professor Mahonia Mordane. What gave you the inspiration to branch out into fashion?

 **Stark:** Well, if you would believe it, fashion and especially embroidered clothing inspired me to study threadwork magic in the first place.

 **WW:** How so?

 **Stark:** _(chuckles)_ It's a long story.

***

_Daily Prophet Special Report:_

**MINISTER FOR MAGIC ELECTION: MARGAERY TYRELL WINS MAJORITY VOTE**

Chief Warlock Renly Baratheon announced the upset win at 4 o’clock London time, after Stannis Baratheon, main contender for the position, called for a recount of the votes. The elder Baratheon is expected to formally concede this morning to Mrs. Tyrell. Tyrell, 29, ran on a platform calling for major reforms of the Ministry, especially after an inquest led to the discovery of widespread corruption at the upper levels of the administration, believed to be the reason behind former minister Robert Baratheon's sudden retirement. Tyrell's surprise win is possibly owed to her widespread approval and popularity as a result of her previous youth advocacy work, the addition of the Wizarding-Muggle Solidarity Council, and the formation of the LGBTQ+ Wizarding Society, which was instrumental in the first Pride March of Wizarding Britain in Diagon Alley five years ago.

Sansa Stark, Tyrell's wife, stated at the press conference, "We are both pleased by the results and look forward to leading the wizarding community into a better and brighter future."

_More on the election, page 2._

***

(An article in _Seeker Weekly)_

**ENGAGED: Gendry Waters and Arya Stark Tying the Knot at Last**

Waters and Stark, Beater and Seeker, respectively, of the Marauding Matagots made their engagement announcement after a 310-270 win against the Vratsa Vultures.

The announcement certainly confirms the past eight years of rumors about them being an item, as they refused to sign to any team unless signed together. Shortly after Stark's Hogwarts graduation, she was reportedly offered a highly lucrative first-string position by Asha Greyjoy (Team Captain of the Holyhead Harpies), but turned it down.

***

"Happy thirty-third birthday, Margaery."

"Am I really?"

"Quite so, if you'll check the highly detailed calendar Shireen organized for us."

"Ah, it is indeed today. I'll be sure to Floo Loras, assuming he's still at home and letting his children run him ragged. Shireen’s father is like a pebble in my shoe, but she's worth every Galleon of her wages.”

"Thought I should also mention Brienne and Jaime's daughter received her Hogwarts letter last week."

"Hmm, so she'll be yearmates with your niece and nephew."

"Think they'll be friends?"

"Only time will tell for sure."

"Speaking of which, it's time again for me to tell you that I love you, Birthday Witch."

"But you already said, 'I love you' when we woke up this morning."

"Yes, but it's always time for me to tell you I love you, now and forever."

"I love you too, darling."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Acknowledgements:**  
>  This fanfic began as two paragraphs hastily typed into a Google doc in 2015, intended as the sort of story I wanted to read when I was a young teenager in the ASOIAF fandom, but it really wasn't ready to be told until 2019. Thanks for the lovely outpouring of support for this fic and I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did while writing it.
> 
> Special thanks to my writing “hype squad”, because without them this fanfic would have been merely a tiny tumblr shitpost. They encouraged me to tell the full story and inspired me in many ways. In no particular order: snowdropwrites, deijis/dcijis, Myth979/longsightmyth, itwasanalaskanbookworm, hextracellular, brynwrites, byjillianmaria, and christinawritesfiction.
> 
> The contributors to the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones wikis as well as A Wiki of Ice and Fire also have my undying gratitude for their very thorough and organized articles. 
> 
> The altered chapter summaries are referencing or directly quoting: (1) Vine, (2) The Secret Garden, (3) Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, (4) General Movie Disclaimer, (5) “Buffalo Gals” from It’s a Wonderful Life, (6) Vine, (7) Tumblr meme, (8) The Adventure Zone: Balance, (9) Equal Rites from the Discworld series, (10) Vine, (11) Good Omens, and (12) Lord of the Rings.
> 
> Chapter 8 also includes a joke that's mostly the brainchild of British comedian and writer Suzi Ruffell who is laugh-out-loud funny and deserves more love. 
> 
> Happy Pride Month. 
> 
> \- Aheshke


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